But what Hanks meant by this was that rather than yelling “ACTION!” like other directors, Eastwood would just stand right next to his actors and gently say, “Okay, go ahead”, as he would to the nervous horses on Rawhide. Daily Express recently spoke with Sully screenwriter Todd Komarnicki about his new World War 2 movie Bonhoeffer, and we couldn’t resist asking about his time with the Hollywood legend.

He told us: “Working with Clint Eastwood was a complete dream. Now when you meet your heroes and they far surpass your highest expectation of them, that’s what happened with Clint. And really I got into directing because I stood next to Clint Eastwood.”

Todd, who wrote and directed Bonhoeffer, continued: “What I saw on his set was the proper way to make a movie. No ego, no rushing, a deep calmness, a deep trust. He also loves writers, so he doesn’t mess with the script. So he shot every word that I had written, which is obviously very nice. But he’s lovely, he’s funny and kind and inclusive, and it was a massive blessing to work with Clint. I can’t imagine him retiring, I think it’s more likely that he would die on set at 102 then retire.”

Bonhoeffer hits UK cinemas on Friday.