Behind the Scenes of ‘Bonnie and Clyde’: 11 Rare Photos of Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway at the Height of Their ’60s Cool

Plus, learn how Beatty took control behind the scenes—and which A-list actresses almost played Bonnie!

By Abbey Bender July 20, 2025

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Bonnie and Clyde, the 1967 film based on the story of real-life Great Depression-era outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, is one of the most influential films of its day thanks to the explosive charisma of its stars, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, and its bold depiction of sex and violence. While the film may have taken place in the past, its depiction of rebellious young outsiders resonated deeply with the countercultural movement of the era, and Dunaway’s costumes and makeup embody ’60s-does-’30s style at its most chic.

Bonnie and Clyde caused a sensation and kickstarted the New Hollywood movement, ushering in an era of modern and stylish filmmaking that would define the late ’60s and early ’70s. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning for Best Supporting Actress and Best Cinematography, and the tale of ill-fated lovers on the run forever shifted Hollywood’s approach to potentially controversial subject matter.

Read on to take a look behind the scenes of Bonnie and Clyde and see how the ’60s classic brought a historic yet politically and socially urgent world to unforgettably vivid life.

1. More than just an actor

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Warren Beatty, seen here with director Arthur Penn, didn’t just act in Bonnie and Clyde, he also produced the film. The handsome star took a hands-on approach to production by helping to get the project off the ground and choosing the director, writer and stars. Beatty and Penn shared a mutual respect, with Penn saying, “I think Warren is probably the smartest person in all of Hollywood. I think he’s the most knowledgeable producer that there is. Nobody can hold a candle to him. He’s better informed about films, and how they’re made, how they’re distributed, and why, than probably any combination of studio heads that you could put together. He’s made it his practice to know that much about film.”
2. The director and his leading lady

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Bonnie and Clyde gave Faye Dunaway her breakthrough role and here, she cozies up to her director while wearing a cute knit beanie. Penn recalled that the movie “made Dunaway a star overnight, literally,” and while it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role, Jane Fonda, Ann-Margret, Sharon Tate, Leslie Caron, Cher, Natalie Wood and others were all considered for Bonnie.
3. Calm amidst the chaos

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In this evocative behind-the-scenes shot, Beatty and Dunaway take a quiet moment to sit on set, as Penn looks on and a crowd of extras stand in the background. In an interview, Penn looked back on how Bonnie and Clyde captured the ’60s, saying, “I think it caught the spirit of the times and the true radical nature of the kids. It plugged into them, it just touched all the nerves, because here were these two who, instead of knuckling under to the system, resisted it. Yes, they killed some people, but they got killed in the end, so they were heroic and martyred in that respect. I must say, in our defense, we knew a little bit of what we were doing, because the studio asked us if we wanted to do it in black and white, and Warren and I said, ‘Absolutely not. It’s gotta be a film about now. This is not a re‑creation of Bonnie and Clyde, they were a couple of thugs. We’re talking about two kind of paradigmatic figures for our times.’”
4. Young lovers

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Here, Penn directs Beatty and Dunaway as they sit on the grass. While Beatty was known for his A-list love life for decades, he and Dunaway surprisingly never dated, and the actress said, “We both knew it would be the end of the relationship onscreen. It’s a bad idea. You get very confused. It’s why doctors don’t operate on their families. You don’t want to carry that luggage onto the set with you when you’re trying to do a great job.”
5. A groovy blouse

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Dunaway looks every bit the ’60s It Girl as she poses in a ruffled paisley blouse on set. Looking back on her early days, she said, “When I was discovered, everything happened like dominos. I don’t know how to talk about it now because it’s too mindblowing. It’s so unreal and yet it’s real. I’m grateful for it but I guess part of that is missing it—when one grows older.”
6. Suited up

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In this shot, Beatty looks sharp as he sits in a director’s chair next to a period political poster. The politics of Bonnie and Clyde spoke to both the audience and the film’s star, as Beatty supported various political causes throughout his career and addressed these issues in many of the movies he wrote and directed, including Reds (1981), Bulworth (1998) and Shampoo (1975, directed by Hal Ashby).
7. Fashionable friends

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The costumes of Bonnie and Clyde proved highly influential on contemporary fashion trends, turning berets and ’30s silhouettes with flirty modern twists into must-haves. Here, Dunaway and the film’s costume designer, Theadora Van Runkle, smile while clad in berets and retro outfits. Impressively, Bonnie and Clyde was Van Runkle’s first film and earned her an Oscar nomination. She went on to work with Dunaway on The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) and The Arrangement (1969), as well as designing her 1968 Oscar gown and many outfits in her personal wardrobe.
8. Glamour shot

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Dunaway looks fabulous as she pouts while sitting in costume in front of a light on set. The actress felt a deep connection to her character, writing in her memoir, “Never have I felt so close to a character as I felt to Bonnie. She was a yearning, edgy, ambitious southern girl who wanted to get out of wherever she was. I knew everything about wanting to get out, and getting out doesn’t come easy. But with Bonnie, there was real tragic irony. She got out only to see that she was heading nowhere, and the end was death.”
9. A historical portrait

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In this black-and-white promotional shot, Dunaway and Beatty pose with the rest of their onscreen gang, composed of (left to right) Michael J. Pollard, Estelle Parsons and Gene Hackman. Beatty personally chose Hackman to play his older brother after they appeared together in the 1964 film Lilith.
10. Parisian premiere

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Dunaway and Beatty look fashionable (gotta love that fuzzy coat!) at Bonnie and Clyde’s Paris premiere. The film took inspiration from the anachronistic style of the French New Wave, so it's no surprise that it played well to Parisian audiences.
11. Costume party

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In this charming photo from the Paris premiere, a group of fangirls wear Bonnie-inspired costumes. As Dunaway fondly remembered, “I recall traveling to Paris with Warren for the premiere . . . and I looked down from a balcony to see a sea of lovely French girls wearing berets and top and bottom eyelashes just like mine . . . what a compliment!”

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