Clint Eastwood and His Pet Orangutan, Clyde

Famous for playing disgruntled detectives, quiet cowboys, and moody older men, it might surprise you to learn that Clint Eastwood’s biggest box office success (in which he appears but doesn’t direct) was his feel-good buddy film “Every Which Way But Loose.”

In 1978, it was a massive risk for Eastwood to star in a comedy. He was known for his more serious roles in westerns and dramas and not necessarily for his comedy insight, but when he received the script, the studio had sent it hoping he would pass it on to his buddy Burt Reynolds. Instead, Eastwood jumped at the chance to co-star in a film with an orangutan.