Robert Duvall: Scottish football’s unlikely hero

In A Shot at Glory, McCoist – Rangers’ all-time leading goalscorer – plays the aging and temperamental former Celtic striker, McQuillan, who is brought in by Duvall McLeod’s character to improve Kilnockie’s fortunes despite concerns about his temperament on and off the field.

Against the backdrop of the club’s American owners threatening to move the team to Dublin, McLeod and McQuillan lead the young side to the Scottish Cup Final against Rangers.

Former Celtic midfielder Didier Agathe has been named as a Rangers player, and Owen Coyle, who played for several Scottish clubs as a striker, features in the Kilnockie FC squad.

In 1999, during the filming of the film, Duvall appeared as a studio analyst alongside McCoist in BBC Scotland’s sports spectacle of the old Scottish Cup final. Giving his predictions, the Hollywood actor sat on the fence.

“I’m kind of neutral,” he told host Dougie Donnelly.

“It would be great if the Rangers win the trilogy. I have a feeling the Rangers better be ready because the Celtics are out for revenge.”

Rangers won the match 1-0 to deny their city neighbors a single title in what has been a painful season for the Bhoi club.

During the same appearance, he revealed that he had also been at Hampden Park the previous year to watch Hearts beat Rangers 2-1 in the Scottish Cup Final.

In 2012, Duvall again displayed divided loyalties. While appearing at the Etihad Stadium for the Manchester derby alongside Jack Reacher star Tom Cruise, the Hollywood star revealed he has named a dog after former Celtic striker, Jimmy Johnstone.

Johnston, nicknamed “Jenky” for his dribbling, was a member of Celtic’s Lisbon Lions team that won the European Cup in 1967.

“I can safely say that the greatest personality I ever met, and I met a lot, was Jimmy Johnstone,” he told Sky Sports.

“I named a dog after him.”

Duvall made his screen debut as Boo Radley in the 1963 film adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, and won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1983 for playing a washed-up country singer in Tender Mercies.