He inadvertently gets roped into driving drugs up from the Southwest
to Chicago. At first, he doesn’t know
what he’s transporting but by the time he finds out what he’s carrying, it’s
too late, he’s making so much money doing it.
He knows he should stop but instead turns into a Robin Hood of sorts
who gives money to people who really need it. Earl feels stuck between doing
what’s right and doing something good for others.
The film, based on The New York Times article The Sinaloa Cartel's
90-Year-Old Drug Mule by Sam Dolnick, is produced and directed by Clint Eastwood,
88, who also plays the role of Earl. In this Q&A Clint talks about
returning to acting and how he approached the tricky task of directing himself
in his dual roles behind-the-scenes.
Was it tricky for you to decide
to act again?
I got to the point where I
enjoyed as a director how you can do a lot of different subject matter, whereas
an actor, you have to only do things that suit you. They just don’t write that
many good roles for older actors as a rule, and so you have to kind of learn to
pick and choose.
You just don’t want to do stuff
for the sake of doing it. You want to make sure it’s something where you think
you can say something new or take a new tack on a certain subject matter. You can’t just manufacture it. There are not
that many writers who know how to write for that sort of thing.
You know, in the old days – well
even in the old days, they had trouble, but they did more roles for people like
Walter Houston and people like that – Walter Huston, not John, though I met
John, too, when he was older. Back then
they did more of that stuff. They did
more of a variety.
I’m not interested in doing
fantasy stuff, so I just have to kind of wait until good things come along,
like Gran Torino. And American Sniper, just as the director only, but it was a
subject matter that was a true story and had some values to it. It’s hard to find that.
And directing is just as much fun
[as acting] – it’s actually more fun because you don’t have to look at your own
face all the time [Laughs]. You don’t
have to switch back and forth; you just stay with the characters that you’re
guiding along.
How do you approach directing
yourself?
Oh, it’s easy because I’ve been
directing since 1970 and Play Misty for Me. I directed myself then, and
eventually directed other people only, and it would just vary on the subject
matter; if there was a role for me, I did it, if not, I directed somebody else
was more suitable for that particular part.
When you know you’re going to
start a new movie, what frame of mind do you usually have?
The pleasure is watching people,
how other people do it, you know. The people are doing the same thing you’re
doing, but they’re just doing it at different times in their life. And how they
approach things, or when they don’t approach it properly you try to guide them
into it.
That’s properly in your brain, in
your interpretation. It could be proper in their interpretation, but somehow
you have to hire people that understand what you’re trying to get. And usually
the scripts are pretty well clear. If somebody comes in and has an interesting
character thing, okay, if it’s good, you like it. If it’s not, you say, “Do
mind trying it the other way?” just to see what it gives you.
Somebody like Bradley Cooper, was
it an immediate choice for you for the part of Colin Bates?
Well, Bradley and I had worked
successfully together in Sniper and I admire his talent. So, he was working on
A Star Is Born and he finished that, and I said well come over and do this. He
was the right age, the right everything for the part.
Did he ask you questions about
directing? Did he ask your advice?
Maybe at times. But I think he
pretty well had a good line on what he wanted to do with it. And it was his
idea to cast Lady Gaga - that was his idea exclusively. And he was right. It
turned out she did a wonderful job in it [A Star is Born].
Bradley as an actor, what do you
like about directing him?
He’s very understanding. He’s got
very good instincts, knows what’s right for him. And I just kind of worked
along with him and suggested things. And he would come back and suggest things
and I’d say great, that’s a good idea, or maybe that doesn’t work so well here,
or what have you. But he’s very good,
very smart. He’s got a good feel for drama.
Do you think about your legacy as
a filmmaker in the history of cinema?
I don’t know. What about it?
[Chuckles] It isn’t for me to judge my legacy as a filmmaker. It’s not for me
to say because I don’t think about that. I think of just what I’m doing at the
time and where I’m headed on individual projects. I don’t have four or five
projects and think in terms of categorizing them. It’s so hard to find material
that’s suitable, in my opinion. When you find something good, you put all your
efforts into it. Then when you don’t have anything, you have to just kind of be
patient and wait and find something.
Is it important for you to see
what’s being made in Hollywood, the current movies? Are you interested?
Well, I would love to see more
films, but when you’re making them, you don’t really have a lot of time to go
see other people’s films.
You filmed on location and then
you had to drive for several days to film portions of The Mule, correct?
We were in Georgia, in the
Atlanta area, Rome and Augusta. Then we went over to Las Cruces, New Mexico for
about five days, and then to cover the driving shots, where the character I
play is actually on the road, we went on a road trip to Colorado.
And how was it for you to see
America like this?
Well, I’ve done it before. I
mean, I’ve driven across the country before. But to work there and exist there,
it was good. It was fun, and all those places are different, had different
things going for them.
The Mule is your 37th film as a
director/producer. What does that evoke for you?
Thirty-seven? Is it? [Chuckles] I
have hung out a long time. I’ve thought about it a few times, and you never
know what gives you a certain longevity. And when you all of a sudden get
there, where you’re in the longevity period, then you kind of go, “How long do
I want to stay?” But it’s not an intellectual debate, it’s an emotional debate.
I’m sure I’ll know someday when I’m tired of doing it, of working. I have never
seen that day and never come to that kind of conclusion. But, I think that I
would notice it when it came.
1 comment:
Dear Clint...Meeting you is on my bucket list. I have been a fan for so many years.
Does anyone really read these comments/ or really get back to you? I will wait with baited breath...haha
Well, my name is Dawn
dawnie2723@gmail.com
God Bless you for all the wonderful entertainment you have provided the masses!! :)
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