Due to his sheer prowess as both an actor and a director, Clint Eastwood has enjoyed the good fortune of choosing which path he wants his career to go down. While the western cinema icon is perhaps slightly better known for his efforts in front of the camera, those behind it are admittedly equally remarkable.
By proxy, Eastwood has directed himself in the lead role several times, including in The Bridges of Madison County, Gran Torino, Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, showing that he perhaps seemed to love both professions equally. However, Eastwood had toyed with the idea of quitting acting for good, and he took a lengthy break after Million Dollar Baby.
He once told The Yorkshire Post, “I said that back when we did Million Dollar Baby. I figured maybe this would be good – to quit on top, unlike a prize fighter who fights one too many fights.” Evidently, Eastwood felt it a good idea to end his career on a high rather than see his efforts in cinema decrease in quality and thereby fall by the wayside.
However, the legendary actor wasn’t quite finished because when another offer came in, he couldn’t help but make one last film. After Million Dollar Baby, Eastwood took a four-year break from acting, but the temptation of Gran Torino in 2008 was enough to bring the film icon back into the fray once more.
“Then Gran Torino came along,” he added. “It seemed like an interesting part. It was a man my age, and I figured I wasn’t stretching things that much. So I decided I’d go ahead and have another shot.” The 2008 film saw Eastwood direct himself once again in his first acting role since the 2004 sports drama.
Gran Torino takes place in Michigan and follows a recently-widowed, lonely Korean War veteran, played by Eastwood, who expresses an anger against the world that’s ramped up even more when his young neighbour steals his prized car to be initiated into a gang before eventually developing a relationship with the boy and family.
In another interview with Film Comment, Eastwood explained that he’s toyed with the idea of quitting acting as a way to combat the inevitability of age, noting, “I’ve threatened to quit, but maybe that’s a defense mechanism, because there aren’t enough good roles at my age. That’s probably true, and if it is, I’ll stay behind the camera.”
“The reason I started directing 37 years ago was I thought some day I or the audience would probably look at the screen and say, ‘That’s enough of that,’” he added. “I’m not saying it won’t happen again, but the odds get less if you set yourself a goal that fits your age group. You just never say never.”