Clint Eastwood is one of those rare Hollywood stars who is a legend both in front of and behind the camera. While he’s best known to most audiences as an actor, with decades of iconic performances, but he has also established himself as one of our finest filmmakers as well. In recent years, the multi-hyphenate has focused his energies more on filmmaking and less in acting, with his last on screen performance coming in his 2012 baseball movie entitledTrouble With the Curve, where he played an aging baseball scout. During an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, theHollywood iconsuggested that he eventually will make his return to acting.
Varietyattended a master class being put on by the actor-filmmaker at theCannes Film Festival, where he discussed a variety of topics. The filmmaker stated that he does miss performing “once in a while but not often,” while hinting that he will eventually make his return to acting. Here’s what he had to say at the festival.
“I did a lot of it for a long time. I’ll visit it again someday.”
BeforeTrouble With the Curve, the actor, filmmaker had only appeared in his movies sporadically over the past decade, starring inGran Torinoin 2008 and his Best Picture winnerMillion Dollar Babyin 2004. He also had an uncredited role as a “church goer” inAmerican Sniper, but he wasn’t featured in an acting role in recent directorial efforts such asSully,Jersey Boys,J. Edgar,HereafterorInvictus. The actor used to act regularly in his movies, but that stopped when he didn’t appear inMystic Riverin 2003. It isn’t known what project the filmmaker will make his return to acting with quite yet.
Clint Eastwoodstarted hisfilmmaking careerin 1971 withPlay Misty For Me, which he followed up in 1973 withHigh Plains DrifterandBreezy,The Eiger Sanctionin 1975,The Outlaw Josey Walesin 1976 andThe Gauntletin 1977. After a three-year hiatus, he returned in 1980 withBronco Billy, which he followed up with a pair of movies in 1982,FirefoxandThe Honky Tonk Man, 1983’sSudden Impact, 1985’sPale Rider, 1986’sHeartbreak Ridgeand 1988’sBird. He continued working regularly into the 1990s with
White Hunter Black Heart andThe Rookiein 1990, Best Picture winnerUnforgivenin 1992,A Perfect Worldin 1993,The Bridges of Madison Countyin 1995,Absolute PowerandMidnight in the Garden of Good and Evilin 1997,True Crimein 1999,Space Cowboysin 2000 andBlood Workin 2002.
As an actor, the 86-year-oldClint Eastwoodwould rarely appear in films that he didn’t direct, but there was one exception in the 1990s. The filmmaker starred alongside Oscar nomineeJohn Malkovichin the 1993 thrillerIn the Line of Fire. The actor/filmmaker is currently in pre-production on his next film,The 15:17 to Paris, but it isn’t known if his acting return will come in this movie or not. Hopefully we’ll have more details on that project soon.
