No Name has a few things in common with Sanjuro, the samurai of Kurosawa’s Yojimbo: he’s a typical loner and is unusually skillful with his weapon, in his case a revolver. Eastwood had never smoked before and didn’t like the idea of the cigars, but he later admitted that they put him in ‘a certain mood’, required for the gruff character. Because of budgetary reasons, the gun and holster Eastwood used for Rawhide, were also used in the movie. Leone also thought a poncho could hide Eastwood’s slender stature and make him look stronger and more menacing.

Yet, when he met Eastwood face to face, he was surprised by his young looks Eastwood looked too innocent for the part, so Leone told him to grow a stubbly beard and to smoke (or chew on) cigarillos. He particularly liked Eastwood’s way of walking with ‘a tired, resigned air’ (1). Leone watched an episode of Rawhide, Incident of the Black Sheep, and said afterwards that there was ‘a framework he could build on’. Eastwood was not Leone’s first choice, actually he wasn’t his choice at all: when the name was finally proposed to him, he had never even heard of him, even though the TV-series Rawhide was shown on Italian television. Anyway, No Name wears the same poncho in all three movies the original colour was green, but it turned to ocre because the garment was never washed in the meantime. According to Leone the poncho was part of his remodeling of Eastwood's juvenile image.

Some have proposed the elegant solution that there were two ponchos, one American, one Spanish. Clint has claimed that the idea was his and that he bought a poncho at Western Costume in Hollywood, but other sources mention that the garment was provided by Leone, and that he had bought it in Spain. Eastwood has always sustained that he cut most of the dialogue that was handed over to him when he arrived in Italy, and Leone has never denied this, but there are various versions in relation to the poncho. No Name has a casual look, wears a poncho, is sparse with words, and smokes cigars. Both Leone and Eastwood have claimed to be the true creator of the character.

Man with no name series