A decade before 1972’s The Godfather catapulted him to stardom, Robert Duvall — the legendary actor who died Sunday at the age of 95 — made his big screen debut in another Hollywood classic, 1962’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Though Duvall appeared in just a single scene at the end of the film, he was unforgettable as Arthur “Boo” Radley, a reclusive figure who ends up saving the lives of the children of Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck), Jem (Phillip Alford) and Scout (Mary Badham).
On Monday morning, Badham, who was 10 when she made the film — and, for her performance, became the youngest best supporting actress Oscar nominee ever, up to that point — and is now 73, shared her memories of Duvall exclusively with The Hollywood Reporter.
“We really didn’t know each other very well at all,” Badham said. “We only had one day to work together, maybe two. Mr. [Robert] Mulligan, who was a brilliant director, held us from seeing each other until the scene at the door.” She continued, “It was really easy to believe him as Boo — as a child, I was able to just kind of live in my imagination — and he was perfect for the role.”
She recalled running into Duvall again on the last day of shoot, when he was out of character: “He was sitting on a bunch of pallets by the backdoor where I had to go off the soundstage to go to the schoolroom, and he goes, ‘Aren’t you gonna say hey to Boo?’ I looked over at this man, and I had no idea who he was!”
Badham said she heard how Duvall was first introduced to Mulligan and producer Alan J. Pakula when he arrived on the set. “They [the crew] took Bob [Duvall] and made him up in the makeup and the hair and the costume and everything, and they put him on the soundstage under a single lightbulb,” she shared. “And then they had Bob [Mulligan] come in and turn on the light, and it was like, ‘There’s Boo! That’s him!’”
She emphasized, “He was a very good actor, and I admired his work.”
