Clint Eastwood is a legendary filmmaker and actor who made films such as Unforgiven. His fame started with the western television series Rawhide before hitting the big time with playing the “Man with No Name” in Sergio Leone’s “Dollars Trilogy.’ However, he felt confident that he would never win an Oscar for his work. Here are the offensive reasons why Eastwood was certain that an Oscar was impossible before winning for Unforgiven.
Clint Eastwood isn’t afraid to speak his mind about society and politics
Eastwood is regularly in the news for his political and social beliefs. The actor and filmmaker freely expresses his interest in the field of politics, especially as they relate to the state of California. He’s a former Republican who occasionally supported Democrats. However, he’s currently registered as a Libertarian. He previously endorsed Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat Michael Bloomberg.
Unforgiven filmmaker Eastwood repeatedly touched on his opinion of the current social climate. Eastwood calls it the “p**** generation,” saying that people are overly sensitive to anything that isn’t politically correct. His critics point out what they believe to be problematic about such statements, but nothing will stop Eastwood from speaking his mind.
Clint Eastwood gave offensive reasons for why he would never win an Oscar
Peter McGilligan’s Clint: The Life and the Legend takes a look at Eastwood’s life through his personal life and career, including the time leading up to Unforgiven. The industry and many movie audiences weigh a lot of importance toward the Academy Awards. However, Eastwood is not one of those folks who always cared about the results of the Oscars.
“I will never win an Oscar and do you know why?,” Eastwood said. “First of all, because I’m not Jewish. Secondly, because I make too much money for those old farts in the Academy. Thirdly, and most importantly, because I don’t give a f***.”
However, Eastwood’s statement was before Unforgiven reached the Oscar ceremony. The actor and filmmaker would later prove to be an awards darling, earning several honors at the film industry’s biggest night over the following years. He’s one of the industry’s biggest success stories when it comes to actors turning into directors.
‘Unforgiven’ won 4 Oscars
Eastwood’s Unforgiven was the first of his films to reach the Oscars. He was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role, but he lost out to Al Pacino’s performance in Scent of a Woman. However, Eastwood won for Best Picture and Best Director. The film also took home Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Gene Hackman and Best Film Editing.
Eastwood returned to the Oscars in the years following Unforgiven. He won the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1995. He also won Best Picture and Best Director once again for Million Dollar Baby. Eastwood was also nominated for Mystic River, Letters from Iwo Jima, and American Sniper.