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“They vet most of the people, but I told them, ‘You can’t do that with me, because I don’t know what I’m going to say,’ ” the Oscar winner told the Carmel Pine Cone in a story published today. “I had three points I wanted to make. That not everybody in Hollywood is on the left, that Obama has broken a lot of the promises he made when he took office, and that the people should feel free to get rid of any politician who’s not doing a good job. But I didn’t make up my mind exactly what I was going to say until I said it,” Eastwood told the paper. The actor’s unscripted appearance as the surprise speaker on the closing night of GOP convention has attracted wide attention. Elements of Mitt Romney’s campaign have tried to distance themselves from Eastwood’s appearance, other celebs made fun of him at the DNC and even the Obama campaign took a poke at him on Twitter right after his speech. Eastwood’s mock interview with an empty chair standing in for Barack Obama was especially derided. Eastwood, who came out in support of Romney at an August 4 fundraiser, says it was spontaneous. “When I saw the stool sitting there, it gave me the idea. I’ll just put the stool out there and I’ll talk to Mr. Obama and ask him why he didn’t keep all of the promises he made to everybody,” he said.
Related: Obama To Eastwood: ‘This Seat’s Taken’
Having just shown up at the arena about 20 minutes before he was supposed to go on, the former Carmel Mayor told the local paper that he got a stagehand to take the chair out on the stage for him as Eastwood made his entrance. “The guy said, ‘You mean you want it at the podium?’ and I said, ‘No, just put it right there next to it.’ ” Eastwood also told the paper he was aware his speech was “unorthodox” but the crowd in Tampa “really seemed to be enjoying themselves.” Eastwood says all he told the Republican campaign about his remarks was “that everything I would say would be nice about Mitt Romney.” Still the actor says he always intended to do something different than other convention speakers like Ann Romney and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. “They’ve got this crazy actor who’s 82 years old up there in a suit,” he said. “I was a mayor, and they’re probably thinking I know how to give a speech, but even when I was mayor I never gave speeches. I gave talks.” Eastwood’s latest movie, Trouble With The Curve, comes out September 21.
Related: Jon Stewart on Clint Eastwood’s Chair
Deadline's Dominic Patten - tip him here.
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Clint Eastwood is the consummate professional and gentleman.
Several years ago he was kind enough to agree to do a video tribute for an editor. I briefly met with him to review it before he went into the room to do another video for something else. When that was finished, I would enter and we would do the tribute.
Needless to say, I was a bit surprised when he exited and some one handed me the tape done with no guidance whatsoever. It was one take…it was from the heart…and…it was perfect.
Thanks again, Clint, for the tribute and your comments at the RNC.
You made my day.
Even consummate professionals and gentleman should rehearse what they are going to say to a crowd of millions. Although, that might explain some of the performances in last several films. I guess his actors just show up twenty minutes before their scene without knowing their lines?
And fools like you make comments without reading. Clint Eastwood had no script and stated he did not know what he would say until the last minute.
And let me tell you a story about actors knowing their lines. Jeremy Irons (already an Oscar winner) was cast in a “period fantasy film”. The first time on set the director (first feature) was shocked when Jeremy did not know his lines on his first day of shooting. The director nervously waited until the day was over and then approached Jeremy expressing his concern about not knowing the lines for this “period fantasy film”.
Jeremy Irons cooly responded, “It ain’t fucking Shakespeare”. Actors perform creating a character telling a story…getting the lines exactly as written is far from the major skill set required.
It’s called acting…not memorizing. And, for those who know Clint Eastwood…this is his style of acting.
FTCS,
This is what I get from your comments:
-Eastwood remains a gentleman in your eyes because he made an appearance in your video.
-Eastwood’s RNC speech was perfect because his speech in your video was perfect.
-Eastwood’s decision to ad-lib his RNC speech is similar to Jeremy Irons’ film acting technique.
-Eastwood was acting and creating character for his speech at the RNC, just like he did in Dirty Harry.
-Actors knowing their lines on movie sets is related to a guest speaker giving a speech at The Republican National Convention.
No…his style of acting is evidence in his films. That style is great. What he did at the RNC was basically an imitation of the modern GOP: An old white man screaming at an empty chair. And he looked completely ridiculous.
I’m a Dem all the way, and I know a lot of lefties have set their hair on fire over this — but I thought it was funny. It was clever, and it got Clint’s points across.
The fact is that the “Obama didn’t keep a lot of his promises” argument is about all the GOP has. They don’t have a great candidate, they have no discernible platform, and Bin Laden is dead – So considering what he had to work with the GOP should be rallying around Clint and thanking him for giving a memorable and clever speech.
It was the best one of the convention, and the poor old stiff-backed GOPers don’t even realize it. Without it, who’d even remember they had a convention as of today?
Eastwood’s 10 minutes were good and they were important. Only off-script time in the two productions and only criticism of Obama’s endless wars. It was done in the medium of the ‘skit’ – much used by church people to promote a point in a relaxed manner. This had issues because the cameramen didn’t understand what was occurring and didn’t frame the sequence correctly – most people didn’t even see a chair on Eastwood’s right. Important RNC moment because it encapsulated the bullet point: “A Second Term for Obama?”
How did the wars become Obama’s fault? He certainly didn’t start them.
Well first – Im no Repub and i opposed BOTH wars – but the truth is that our troops left Iraq on the date that Bush had decreed as the end date for our involvement. Not one day earlier.
But – he doubled down on Afghanistan and that horror is much worse than it ever was because of it.
He ran for President saying he could do the job even though he had NO experience and wasnt prepared for it.
Clint is right – hes the biggest hoax in US History and we GOT to let him go,
Romney 2012
Clintons 2016
“Obama’s endless wars”
wow, you guys really do think the American people are stupid. We may have short term memories, but they aren’t that short. We know George W Bush started the wars, and blaming the president today for not ending them fast enough is to ignore the fact that the exit strategy should have been made BEFORE we invaded. Once again, President Obama was not in office when that took place.
Al Qaida and the Taliban started the war on terror. Bush agreed to the pullout date for Iraq before Obama took office. Only Afghanistan was “endless”.
Well Said!
I dont know if the “american people” are stupid – but I think that comment was.
So WHEN will Obama be ending the useless war in Afghanistan and when will you care that he does?
Uhm. Drawing down now with a full pull-out in 2014? Fair to say you want it to be faster (or *never*, as Romney says). Not fair to say Obama doesn’t have an end date.
Derided by some; loved by others. I don’t think we’re going to get “Castroing” memes or “GM is Alive Day” to compare with Eastwooding and Empty Chair Day. The grassroots response has been phenomenal…the pundits, on the other hand, well…
Legend. Great speech.
I admire Eastwood’s work but I’m tired of this esteemed elder statesman routine. He made a total fool of himself and, as a talented performer and writer, he ought to have known better. You get just so many props for being eighty, but ultimately it was arrogant of him, no matter where you stand politically. For someone allegedly supporting Romney, it was also a reckless thing to do with regard to his candidate.
The fact that the left wing punditry and media is still in a tizzy about this only tells me that Mr. Eastwood’s skit was effective and they’re scared to death of it. If it was so embarassing and sad, why are they still attacking it? People will always show you what they’re afraid of in how they respond to “threats”. Those who are left-wing partisans on the left are showing you they think Eastwood’s skit was a huge threat. And just as they destroyed other figures through scorn and merciless media pounding, they will turn on Clint with the white-hot intensity of a thousand burning suns. Just wait – I’m sure SNL is just raring to go. (and by the way, look how this article is titled, versus the actual content of interview from the paper linked to here…Eastwood “admits” the skit was vetted, like he had to “admit” something…)
What the media attention should tell you is that the only reason it’s become polemical is because NOTHING SUBSTANTIVE WAS PUT FORTH at the RNC.
Exactly right. The RNC should turn Clint’s empty chair routine into a really good 30 second commercial and they should spend a lot of money airing the spot in every battleground state. Republicans should embrace it and use it because it could really help them swing some undecided voters to Romney who’s a terrible campaigner but with Clint’s skit they get real mainstream humor from an American icon.
Clint’s entire speech was counterproductive and so is your comment. LOL, you’re absolutely right: it better be “turned into” something “really good” because it’s really BAD; cutting and editing isn’t going to make it look any better. They are definitely going to have to “spend a lot of money airing the spot” because no station is going to want to be associated with that asinine, awkward, stumbling, disrespectful speech.
And yet clips from it continue to be aired, on every station, since the day of the nomination. And here we are, with Deadline reporting on it, all over again.
I agree Winnie, what’s your point? My points was that it was a horrible speech. Maybe that’s why Deadline is reporting on it today… maybe that’s why it blew Twitter up… maybe…
And the Right didn’t throw a fit over Clint’s endorsement commercial for the auto industry being saved??
Sheesh…. they about had a seizure.
Funny the RNC doesn’t mention Clint’s 5 wives and multiple children. If he spoke at the DNC that’s all Rush would talk about regarding their platform of family vaues!
There needs to be some compromise and from everyone or this country’s going in the ditch.
Oh, it gets worse. Clint has multiple children with at least 5 different women…he only married two of the mothers.
Of course it wasn’t “vetted”. He is Clint Eastwood. Everyone worships him and no one dares to question him. The same thing happened on the sets of “Hereafter” and “J. Edgar.” But it’s time to take the keys away from him.
Seemed on point and lucid in his interview. It’s ok. Mock and attack him all you what. Destroy him, call him senile. Do all that you and your kind do. Just know that someone is indeed about to have his keys taken away from him, but it’s not Eastwood. It’s the fellow who’s currently residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
On point? NO–to paraphrase a film–
“Every Which Way But Lucid”
Hollywood baloney, take the keys away from Clint, because he said Obama didn’t live up to his promises? Now that key comment indicates a thin-skin, you know love me ,love my candidate or I’ll think you are a bad Republican. Clint’s comments weren’t the usual Democratic party hero worship so he must be mocked and by the dubiously talented to boot.Hollywood is just filled with the milk of kindness and tolerance.
I love Clint. I mean, I really, really love Clint.
But the man’s got to know his limitations.
I find it troubling that the Romney campaign would entrust someone to basically riff on seemingly one of the most important nights of their campaign. Yes, the speech was entertaining in a ‘He’s saying WHAT? way’ but ultimately it was not the place for this kind of talk. I found it undignified when he referenced ‘to go ____ yourself’. Class-less Clint.
I find it troubling that the Obama administration would entrust a loose cannon like Joe Biden to be the Vice-President.
I find it disturbing that the GOP would consider Sarah Palin as the successor to the presidency when they were looking to put an old man in charge of the most powerful country in the world. I win.
I’m with you. Palin was the hottest mess we have ever had run for anything. Shes the gift that won’t go away
He needed a funnier chair.
I realize some of you feel you need to kiss Mr. Eastwood’s ass a bit, but it was a disaster. The take-away image of the RNC was an old man yelling at a chair. The takeaway from the DNC was Michelle and Bill. You have to be politically clueless (or a real Eastwood toady) not to know that’s a win for the DNC.
Why is it surprising the GOP didn’t vet Clint’s speech? We’re talking about people who couldn’t be bothered to vet their VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE last election. As much as they wring their hands over liberals love for the “hollywood elite,” these are people who are still worshipping at the altar of Reagan (the former actor and celebrity) and he’s been gone for quite some time now. It’s the republicans who LOVE celebrity, as long as the celebrity in question is a republican of course.
Palin was vetted – she just wasn’t prepped. The second she was nominated, I told my wife, “They’re going to have to destroy her,” because the largest voting block in the country is women, and the idea of a woman GOP VP candidate was a serious threat. So, the media was ready to rip her to pieces, and the incompetent McCain campaign sent her out to face the wolves without preparing her for the maelstrom she was walking into.
Oh OBVIOUSLY. It couldn’t be that she’s a colossal idiot and one of the biggest gaffe machines in American politics, another perfect proof of H.L. Mencken’s statement that the White House will be adorned by a downright moron (though I guess Reagan and Bush Jr. have Palin beat on that count). No, it’s that she’s a WOMAN GOP VP candidate (because we all know how much the GOP respects women, especially ones that have been legitimately raped), and the media was thusly going to tear her to pieces.
Seriously, you need to start thinking out loud so people can call you out on your nonsense.
Clint is a great American speaking truth to power. Proud of the Romney campaign for having the guts to give him his say. Obama’s days in office are numbered.
Also a Democrat. I’ll say it again. I thought it was great. And taking cheap shots at Eastwood because of his age is common for many Dems unfortunately in spite of their oh-so-bleeding hearts for their fellow man. I did not watch – but read – Obama’s speech. 1.) It was a cut-and-paste of many, many other speeches he’s made. It was virtually fill-in-the-blank stuff. 2.) A litany of generic ideals – anybody can do that. Pushy, sanctimonious, almost delusional in his inability to grasp what he has not done. With those job statistics today he should be ashamed to go outside. The question is : Will the Macy’s elf hiring bump kick in in November? Seasonal retail masks a lot of job statistics that time of year. 3. Begging for another chance (his wife) is third grade stuff. 4. His entire rationalization for remaining president is that he hasn’t lied. He doesn’t count misleading and confusing as lying. Such unbridled and supercilious casuistry masquerading as intellect.
If Romney and Ryan lose it will be because they have not put together a realistic social agenda to unite the country. The country as a whole is way beyond where they are. There will be no turning back and the best way to be on the wrong side of history is to be on the wrong side of momentum – I’m talking about the country’s momentum not Obama’s.
And what a baby! And what an idiot! Clinton makes all his nuanced points for him. Cutting up the meat in digestible bites so Obama can spew the same old pablum. You really start to wonder who exactly it is who’s in charge of the show. (I gotta believe that privately Clinton believes Obama is a lightweight.)
You Republicans are a joke. If the Democrats had hauled out Clint Eastwood only to have him talk to an empty chair supposedly holding Mitt Romney’s keester you would be going APESHIT reading Obama’s epitaph blah-blah-blah. And you want to run this country again!?! You couldn’t even control a dottering 80+year old man! My gawd you should pray this just goes away… Oooh the Democrats are scared because Clint was sooo effective!!! Y’all just keep on convincing each other how you have it sewn up…
I don’t think you used enough exclamation points. As noted, Eastwood must have hit you guys pretty close to the mark to get you all riled up like that.
Yeah, it was genius. Brilliant! It’s just that some of us can’t see the emperor’s amazing new outfit.
Tell you what. I’ll pay $1000 to your favorite charity for every time Romney uses Clint Eastwood in an ad.
Romney is a coward and a wimp so is the RNC. They are terrified of doing anything that might offend undecided voters so they are treading very lightly. The election will be determined by that very small group of swing voters in the swing states and they all make up their minds the very last week of the campaign it’s always been like that. In 1980 Reagan was headed for defeat until the final debate with Carter which was one week before election day. Then everybody realized Reagan was worth voting for and it was a landslide. I’m voting for Ron Paul as a write in candidate. I don’t think I’m wasting my vote at all I think I’m using my vote the right way.
People are so insanely polarized right now. 45% are going to vote for Obama no matter what, 45% are going to vote for Romney no matter what. None of this 90% are going to change their minds. They’d vote right now if they could. They know everything they need to know. Unless Romney just owns Obama in the debates, it’s going to be the closest election since that crazy Bush Gore fiasco in 2000. Really can’t wait for the Ryan / Biden debate. That should be a hoot.
I’m not sure if you guys are joking – have you not heard of Bob Newhart? The one-sided conversation bit is pretty old and Clint did it very well. Newhart himself got it, but you stick to your ‘talking to a chair like a crazy person’ thing. Makes you look real clued-in.
Oh, Bob Newhart got it? Well that just takes care of everything, doesn’t it? Bob Newhart says it was fine, so we can all just ignore the fact that a great actor and director looked like a doddering idiot in front of millions of Americans while at a political convention. Because Bob Newhart is the obvious arbiter of what we should think.
And yes, the one-sided conversation bit is old. And no, Clint did not do it very well.
I loved Clints speech. Also, my mower starts on the very first pull.
—AGAIN, no fan of Eastwood’s acting, or his
by the book, demoralization op directorial efforts.
Still, surprised to say, we thought his RNC turn
genuine and pretty much A okay.
The most depressing thing about this entire thread is the fact that neither side can be honest with themselves. Eastwood’s speech was a terrible joke that the few Americans watching instead of Honey Boo Boo know was cringe worthy, yet the Party Faithful insist it was a home run.
Before I get bombarded from the right, the same is true when liberals say Obama’s speech was anything beyond a bunch of the empty platitudes he used in 2008.
There’s a real debate to be had about the role of government in our lives. Both conservatives and liberals are mostly people of good conscience who want what’s best for the country and have different ideas about how to get there. The problem is that we very rarely get that kind of conversation because people are so entrenched for one side or the other that they spend more time defending terrible speeches than actually talking about the ideas.
What a vulgar A-hole Clint turned out to be! I used to admire him. I couldn’t believe how innappropriate and meanspirited he was- but then again it WAS the Republicn convention- home of greedy money grubbing tresonist Gazillionaires who ran our precious country into a ditch. What can you expect?
Clint, they’re still talking about you…….that means you were successful! Empty chair for the empty suit full of empty promises.
An old white man ranting at an imaginary Obama…pretty much sums up today’s GOP.