1995's The Bridges of Madison County was a romantic drama film starring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood. The movie begins with two adult children going through the belongings of their mother (Streep) after her death. To their shock and surprise, they discover she had a short-lived love affair with a photographer (Eastwood) passing through town years before. What follows is a retrospective look back on the love story that unfolded between a small-town housewife rediscovering herself and a deep, albeit passing, connection between two people. The movie was based on a 1992 bestselling novel of the same name by Robert James Waller.

But it wasn't just the big talent of Streep and Eastwood that were involved in the making of The Bridges of Madison Country. Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment had bought the rights to the novel before it was even published. More surprising even, is that a notable and controversial Lucasfilm magnate also had a hand in its production.

It's been noted that the best-selling romance novel The Bridges of Madison County is reminiscent of other romances that came before it. In Marc Elliot's book American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood, he says:

The Bridges of Madison County is essentially a modernized version of Noël Coward's one-act play Still Life, which he turned into a screenplay in 1945; it became David Lean's Brief Encounter, set in London, about the desperation, guilt, and temptations of two married people who meet, fall in love, commit adultery, and then separate forever.

Another ironic parallel is that Streep had starred in an unofficial remake of Brief Encounter made just over 10 years prior. Falling in Love (1984) starred Streep opposite Robert De Niro. The film was not a box office success by any means, but it presented much the same scenario of two married strangers beginning an affair and separating in the end.

By the 1990s, Eastwood had built up a reputation for himself as a director and producer. With an acting career dating as far back as the 1950s, Eastwood began directing and producing in the 1970s. He was a producer on the film Dirty Harry (1971) and directed the Western High Planes Drifter (1973), in which he also starred as a mysterious figure coming into a corrupt town seemingly out of nowhere. By the 1990s, he'd directed over 10 films -- everything from Westerns to hard-hitting dramas. And The Bridges of Madison County would be another film yet again in which he would both star and direct. Originally, however. It was Spielberg who was planning to direct and was the first to approach Eastwood about the film.

Known in recent years for her work with Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise, Kathleen Kennedy served as coproducer on The Bridges of Madison County. Kennedy had a prior, long-standing working relationship with Spielberg. Indeed, she amassed an almost 30-year history working with Spielberg on a number of his biggest hits. She first became his associate on films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Poltergeist (1982) and moved up to producer on E.T. The Extra-terrestrial (1982). She and producer Frank Marshall were founding members of Amblin Entertainment, producing such franchises as Jurassic Park and Back to the Future. Her partnership with Marshall alone has birthed award-winning films like War Horse (2011), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Munich (2005), Seabiscuit (2003), and The Sixth Sense (1999).

In 2012, Kennedy was named George Lucas' successor and co-chair at Lucasfilm. It was reported at the time that she'd "leave the Kennedy/Marshall Co to run Lucasfilm. George Lucas [would] remain CEO and co-chair of the board at Lucasfilm, but Kennedy [would] be in charge day-to-day." Opinions of her success in heading Lucasfilm have varied. The brand has seen more intellectual properties produced since her employment than ever. But some have argued that it has lessened the quality and led to an "over-exposure" of Star Wars content. Allegations of placing "woke" narratives into Star Wars also popped up during her time, prompting the observation that "the historical reality that political themes have long been embedded in the franchise" have always existed.

Eastwood established a reputation for himself early on in his film career as projecting a tough-guy image. So, to see him in a role as sensitive as The Bridges of Madison County seems somewhat against type. In the film, Eastwood plays photographer Robert Kincaid, who is on assignment with National Geographic to photograph the county's historic bridges. When Italian WWII bride, Francesca Johnson (Streep), offers him directions, a love affair ensues. Eastwood was signed to play Kinkaid before he was offered the role of director. Many had passed on the opportunity before him. Warner Bros. Terry Semel was the one who suggested Eastwood step into the director's chair -- to which Eastwood replied, "Give me 24 hours."

What came about was a lovingly-paced romance to which Eastwood gave his whole heart. And those who knew Eastwood recognized many elements of him in the film. Spielberg made the observation, "I’ve always felt that Clint in his real life was a much drier version of Kincaid in Waller’s book. He was always my first choice." Eastwood himself admitted he saw much of his own persona in the character he was playing in The Bridges of Madison County. Said Eastwood, "I’ve been that guy a little bit, going off by myself years ago in a pickup truck into Nevada, scouting locations for High Plains Drifter. But I didn’t stop off with any housewives while doing that.” Kennedy also weighed in, stating Eastwood "is much more like Kincaid than the [movie] persona he’s created over the years. He’s really a very gentle soul.” But his sensitive performance will still surprise many . . . How many actors today would do that? It takes tremendous self-confidence."

Eastwood tried to maintain the simplicity of the story, in keeping with the spirit of the book. He stated his goal clearly: "I didn't want to try to trick it up or do anything fancy because of whatever that magic is if we can transpose that over to the screen [we'll have captured that essence]." And the movie moves at such a pace that it doesn't feel as though it's rushing its story or connections. And yet, it still feels entirely captivating. According to Eastwood, Streep had commented that she felt he balanced his directorial and acting duties better than most. That he managed to remain engaged and present as the Kinkaid opposite her during the film's most pivotal moments -- Streep wasn't actually a fan of the book, to begin with, and it was Eastwood who convinced her to do the project.

The Bridges of Madison County was rated PG-13. Some family-oriented websites describe it as "a well-crafted but dangerous film directed by Clint Eastwood" for its depiction of marital infidelity. Others have claimed that it almost merited an R rating for Francesca's line, "Or should we just fuck on the linoleum one last time?" Eastwood himself said the film is more of an exploration of people and situations. Eastwood said of Francesca, "She gets this fantasy trip thrown at her, then all of a sudden it's... 'How do I deal with that emotionally? What kind of morality, how does this affect everything I believe in in life?' That's kind of what I like in stories, in movies, and plays. Where fate takes you in a way that you're totally unprepared for." In a way, the story Eastwood was trying to tell can't simply be boiled down to right and wrong -- it's simply asking a question of the viewer and for their attention to consider that question.

Streep would earn an Academy Award as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her work in the film. The movie itself would be nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama. And it still holds an overall favorable rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the potential gamble Eastwood may have taken in playing opposite his usual, it turned out to be a hugely successful project for everyone involved -- including Kennedy.