The Dark Side Of Clint Eastwood

from threatening Michael Moore to arguing with a chair there's a different side to actor Clint Eastwood that most fans might be unaware of Philip Kaufman wrote the script for the 1976 Civil War movie The Outlaw Josie Wales then got bumped up to director because the film's star and producer Clint Eastwood appreciated Kaufman's creative Liberties in adapting the forest Carter Source novel Kaufman opted to have the bad guys relentlessly pursue Eastwood's titular character for the entirety of the film rather than die early on like they do in the book once filming began Kaufman's slow thoughtful and deliberate directing style irritated Eastwood one scene took so long to capture that Eastwood insubordinate led a small group of crew members and shot the scene himself a few days later and under Eastwood's orders the producer fired Kaufman from The Outlaw Josie Wales the new director who would replace him Eastwood of course but this film was a union production and thus subject to strict labor rules when news of Eastwood essentially replacing Kaufman with himself got back to the director Guild of America it passed a new provision in its standard contract nicknamed the Clint Eastwood rule DGA Affiliated Productions cannot allow an actor or actor producer to take the director's job out from under them in the 1970s Eastwood hired his old friend Fritz Mains to work on his films his career in Hollywood and 40 plus year friendship with Eastwood ended when the director made him take the fall for problems with the 1986 movie Heartbreak Ridge the production required the help of the US Marine Corps and it was made job to be an Envoy between the filmmakers and military officials those figures publicly criticized Heartbreak Ridge upon its release calling out the film at Eastwood for its numerous factual errors because the military wasn't happy Eastwood blamed Mains and ended his employment still hurt by the event nearly 30 years later Mains explained in Patrick mcgilligan's Clint The Life and Legend that working alongside Eastwood was categorically tough with little reward he said with this guy if you got any credit for anything it was a miracle Mains also described the time he allegedly witnessed East would assault his then wife Maggie Johnson he said Clint just turned around and knocked Maggie out cold he really decked her knocked her clear from the living room into the tub in the bathroom those Recollections led to a $10 million lawsuit from Eastwood who sued mcgilligan and his publisher for damaging his reputation go ahead make my day Eastwood began a relationship with sandre lock while making the outlaw Josie Wales and they lived together for more than than a decade for the duration of their time together Lock's acting career consisted mostly of Eastwood projects she told the Washington Post if you were in Clint Eastwood movies you were in the Clint Eastwood movie business you weren't in the movie business you weren't part of Hollywood lock said she stopped getting offers altogether because filmmakers and casting directors assumed that she only wanted to make movies with Eastwood Eastwood broke things off with lock in 1989 and he let her know their relationship was over by waiting until she'd left the home they shared together changing the locks and having her possessions removed subsequently lock learned that Eastwood had taken up with a woman he'd been secretly seeing with whom he'd had multiple children Lo found this particularly traumatic because Eastwood had implored her to terminate pregnancies and to undergo a procedure to prevent any more after the split lock filed a palamon lawsuit Eastwood settled the case and negotiated with Warner Brothers a deal for lock to direct films and develop screenplays after 3 years Warner Brothers hadn't given lock any projects so she sued for fraud suspecting that the powerful Eastwood made the deal to essentially Blacklist her from Hollywood that suit was settled out of court in 1996 Eastwood has often spoken about his rough and tough upbringing he told Esquire there was not much employment not much welfare people barely got by people were tougher then a rough childhood can be a dark and affecting thing except that Eastwood stretched the truth about his upbringing according to Sandra Lock when giving testimony in 1996 for a lawsuit filed by lock Eastwood again reflected on his financially difficult early years lock attested that Eastwood's childhood memories weren't accurate writing that his family never struggled with money and actually lived in a wealthy neighborhood owned multiple cars and held a membership at a California Country Club my dad used to used to preach to me all the time nobody's going to give you anything Eastwood's courtroom testimony also included a mention of his drafting into the US Army in 1951 during the Korean War he'd frequently discussed his military service in interviews but according to lock he never saw combat spending his entire spell in the Army working as a lifeguard at the Fort or base in California when he wasn't down in Los Angeles making movies Eastwood listed his primary residence in the 1970s and 80s as Carmel By the Sea where he also co-owned the Hogs breath in restaurant in 1985 the Carmel City Council turned down Eastwood's proposal and plans to build a commercial use facility next to the Hogs breath in Eastwood sued and the case was settled before a trial could take place place he reached a settlement with the historical preservation minded city government of carmell but Eastwood remained so annoyed and felt so disrespected by the whole Affair that he decided to try and take over the city in January 1986 Eastwood announced plans to run for mayor promising to scale back on his movie making in order to focus his attention on carmell should he win a two-year term in the April election Eastwood garnered 72% of the votes Eastwood's political career ended with his one mayoral term although he was considered for George H W Bush's vice president slot man's got to know his limitations Francis Fischer had just scored a supporting part in the 1989's action comedy pink Cadillac when she met Eastwood on the set Eastwood was in the midst of ending his relationship with sandre lock and fer became his next long-term romantic partner she stayed with the actor for 6 years eventually becoming pregnant with her daughter Franchesca however it was Eastwood's behavior during Fisher's labor that led her to end the relationship fiser unexpectedly went into labor 5 weeks ahead of schedule while spending time at Eastwood's Ranch in Northern California and she was taken by helicopter to a Reading California hospital she told the people I was in heavy heaving labor I'd never done this before he was standing at the back of the room talking golf to the doctor on duty suddenly a nurse I didn't recognize walked into the room she stroe straight up to Clint and whispered something I couldn't hear I heard him reply it's not appropriate and I knew she'd asked for his autograph Eastwood would sign the autograph anyway and not long after the delivery in discharge Fisher broke up with Eastwood moving out of their home and taking their newborn baby daughter in January 2005 Eastwood and Michael Moore were both in attendance at the national board of review Awards dinner Eastwood was representing his film million dooll baby while Moore was there with his documentary Fahrenheit 911 Eastwood called out Moore's film during his speech that night reportedly Eastwood threatened to kill Moore if he were to ever interview Eastwood in such a manner to demonstrate that he wasn't kidding Eastwood repeated him himself simply and bluntly to more the crowd still laughed and so Eastwood spoke over them he said I mean it I'll shoot you on his Facebook page Moore provided his take on the situation he wrote I should probably stop here and say that I like Clint Eastwood and I think he was a great filmmaker but something started to go Haywire with Clint in the last decade Eastwood has long been known as one of the more conservative big names in the film industry his politics lean to the right of Center his views corresponding to those of libertarian Ians and Republicans in 2012 Eastwood spoke at the Republican National Convention amidst the events that culminated in the nomination of Mitt Romney as the Challenger to President Barack Obama as he sought a second term Eastwood spoke at length in the form of a one-sided conversation he delivered specific rebukes to Obama represented in the exchange by an empty chair while there were valid discussions to be had of Obama's presidency Eastwood's performance was supposed to demonstrate how the president had no excuses but to Casual viewers the bit of theater just looked like a person talking to somebody who wasn't there oh you what do you mean shut up when asked by a reporter in 2016 about the state of American presidential politics Eastwood admitted that he regretted the format of that speech he told Esquire what troubles me is I guess when I did that silly thing at the Republican convention talking to the chair police beat reporter Kathy Scruggs became moderately famous when she reported on the terrorist bombing of Centennial Olympic Park during Atlanta's 1996 Summer Olympics scrug stories were among the first filed about the event and investigation and she broke the news that the top suspect in the crime was a security guard named Richard Jewel scrug cited Federal authorities as her Source the truth about the Atlanta 1996 Olympics bombing would eventually emerge and juwel would be completely exonerated but he'd forever be linked to the horrific crime leading him to sue the Atlanta Journal Constitution for besmirching his good name in court proceedings Scruggs declined to identify her exact Federal Al source for the jewel allegations and she was threatened with imprisonment for her refusal Scruggs died in 2001 long before the 2019 release of the Eastwood directed Richard Jewel Olivia wild played The prominent role of Scruggs in the movie which purported to expose how the Atlanta Journal Constitution ruined Jewel's life with malicious and negligent intent on the part of Scruggs to get her information the film theorizes Scruggs offered sexual favors to an FBI agent on behalf of itself and the estate of Scruggs the Atlanta Journal Constitution filed a lawsuit against producer Warner Brothers alleging that Eastwood created a false and defamatory portrait of its deceased reporter even though it's based on a true story so I have to wonder what other artistic license is in this film at the 2008 can film festival Ley promoted Miracle at St Anna a World War II drama with a main cast of black actors while talking to reporters he criticized Eastwood's 2 2006 World War II films flag of our fathers and letters from iojima for a lack of black characters Lee said Clint Eastwood made two films about eima that ran for more than 4 hours total and there was not one negro actor on the screen I know it was pointed out to him and that he could have changed it it's not like he didn't know Eastwood responded to Lee's criticism in the guardian allowing that while a small number of black soldiers were present at eima none were photographed he said the following they didn't raise the flag the story is Flags of Our Fathers the famous flag raising picture and they didn't do that if I go ahead and put an African-American actor in there people go this guy's lost his mind a guy like him should shut his face celebrity feuds can get out of hand and this one took a third major filmmaker to resolve it Lee ran into Steven Spielberg at a basketball game and explained his side and Spielberg promised to reach out to Eastwood Spielberg did just that and the issue between Lee and Eastwood was resolved expecting to win the best actor Oscar for The Godfather at the 1973 academ Awards Marlin Brando sent the president of the national Native American affirmative image committee sashen Little Feather to refuse his award as a protest Little Feather said I beg at this time that I have not intruded upon this evening and that we will in the future our hearts and our understandings will meet with love and generosity a few minutes later Eastwood headed out on stage to present an Oscar and he made some put Downs about the Little Feather speech he said I don't know if I should present this award on behalf of all the Cowboys shot and all all the John Ford westerns over the years Flash Forward to 2016 and an Eastwood interview with Esquire in which the celebrity spoke highly of the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump as it served as an antidote to cultural trends that bugged him he said he's on to something because secretly everybody's getting tired of political correctness kissing up that's the kiss ass generation we're in right now that wasn't all though as he added we see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff when I grew up those things weren't called racist

Channel: Grunge

Views: 81,735

Keywords: grunge, clint eastwood, actor, spike lee, michael moore

Id: ijfQhAXh5zo

Length: 12min 5sec (725 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 12 2024