Clint Eastwood Opens Up About Aging, Asks ‘So What’ If ‘I Don’t Look Like I Did At 20’

Sep 14, 2021 by apost team

Clint Eastwood is one of the most recognized and acclaimed actors and directors of all time. He is known as being America's beloved cowboy, having been featured in iconic films that solidified the impact of the Spaghetti Western genre in America and across the world. He started on his road to fame in the 1950s and from that moment, the rest, as they say, is history. 

His career, which has spanned over 65 years, has seen him achieve success in a number of roles including as an actor, film director, producer and even as a musical composer. Some of his most memorable movies include the Dollars trilogy, "Dirty Harry," "Million Dollar Baby," "Mystic River," "Gran Torino" and more. Having been at the top of his game for decades, Clint has a long legacy behind him, which only seems to increase the older he gets, as he simply keeps on working.

Now aged 91, the Hollywood veteran is taking his time to focus on jobs he really enjoys. He also has a whopping eight children, all of whom are grown up now. In fact, a few of his kids have even followed him into show business, with perhaps the most famous being his lookalike actor son Scott Eastwood.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times from September 2021, Clint opened up about being an aging actor in Hollywood and how his perspective on the job hasn’t changed much since he first began. Clint stays true to his roots and follows his passion for filmmaking no matter how old he is. Let's take a look at the actor’s life and career milestones and how he's doing today.

Despite his legendary status these days, Clint Eastwood's roots are rather humble. Born in San Francisco, California on May 31, 1930, Clint's youth was spent causing mischief, while it's unclear whether he ever graduated from high school. 

After a brief stint in the army during the Korean War, Clint made his way to Hollywood. After impressing executives with his tall stature and intimidating demeanor, he, unfortunately, failed to impress them with his acting skills but was arranged to enroll in acting classes after signing a contract with Universal Pictures. 

Clint struggled to make it big for a while, picking up a few small roles here and there, but finally, he landed a breakthrough role in the 1958 Western series "Rawhide." The series aired for five years before being canceled. This led to his now signature role as the tough guy with a heart of gold in a long list of Westerns, including in Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy. His character as "the Man with No Name" was one of the most popular and influential roles throughout his career. 

Ever since then, Clint has never slowed down, choosing to appear both in front of and behind the camera. From the "Dirty Harry" movies of the 1970s and '80s to his success as a director — which includes him winning two Academy Awards for Best Director, in 1993 for "Unforgiven" and in 2005 for "Million Dollar Baby" — Clint has proven time and again why he is simply one of the best Hollywood has ever had. Even now in his 90s, he's still going strong.

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On September 17, 2021, Clint’s latest film “Cry Macho” will be released. This makes Eastwood perhaps the oldest American to direct and star in a major motion picture, according to the Los Angeles Times. When asked how he compares to when he first started acting, Clint responded, “I never think about it. If I’m not the same guy, I don’t want to know anything about it. I might not like the new guy. I might think, ‘What am I doing with this idiot?’"

Clint may not feel any different at 91, but the crew working with him on “Cry Macho” were definitely aware of the dangers of riding horses at his age. “The wrangler was worried. She was saying, ‘Be careful, be careful now.’ She was scared I’d end up on my rear end,” Eastwood recalled to the LA Times. “But if you treat the horse like a buddy, he’ll take care of you.

Still, the actor seems to be in the best shape of his life, and his talents have shown no decline with the passing years. “I don’t look like I did at 20, so what? That just means there are more interesting guys you can play,” Clint stated on the topic.

However, there are moments when Clint thinks about retiring when the right time comes along. He said, “What the hell am I still working for in my 90s? Are people going to start throwing tomatoes at you? I’ve gotten to the point where I wondered if that was enough, but not to the point where I decided it was. If you roll out a few turkeys, they’ll tell you soon enough.”

Are you a fan of Clint Eastwood? Can you believe he's still working at the age of 91? Let us know your favorite movie of his and pass this on to any other fans of his you know!