Clint Eastwood declares he would not be able to shoot the classic films he is known for due to modern political correctness agendas in 2024’s world as he seems set to retire from directing at the age of 93.
Popular films include Dirty Harry, Gran Torino, Million Dollar Baby and Unforgiven along with countless, memorable westerns that he has built his legacy upon.
It’s Dirty Harry in particular that he thinks would not hold up well in 2024 due to the different values in society from when it debuted in 1971 some 53 years ago. Back then, it even went on to produce four sequels as Eastwood starred as a serial killer-hunting cop.
“We see people accusing each other of being racist and all sorts of things,” Eastwood said at the Cannes Film Festival in France. “When I grew up, those things weren’t called racist. Secretly, everyone is getting tired of political correctness.
“[When I made] Gran Torino, even my partner said, ‘This is a really good script, but it’s politically incorrect.’ And I said, ‘Okay. Let me read it tonight.’ The next morning, I walked in, threw it on his desk, and said, ‘We’re going to start this right away.'”
Eastwood’s war on political correctness
For the man who is almost a century old, he has never subscribed to modern thinking on matters such as homophobia and racism and is very much willing to use the language that was acceptable in his youth.
Eastwood has expressed his belief in the importance of free speech and individual expression, often advocating for people to speak their minds without fear of censorship or backlash and he has been critical of what he perceives as excessive political correctness in society, particularly in the realms of culture and media.
Some may see him as a voice of reason advocating for freedom of speech, while others may view his comments as insensitive or offensive but if one thing stays the same, people talk about Eastwood a lot.