Clint Eastwood: Interview about Hollywood is completely made up!

Clint Eastwood: Interview about Hollywood is completely made up!

On June 4, 2025, Clint Eastwood, the legendary Hollywood icon, celebrated his 95th birthday. But instead of being showered with congratulations, the veteran director and actor is faced with a controversy that has tainted his name. The Austrian “Kurier” published an interview, which Eastwood described as “completely made up”. He clarified that he had never spoken to the newspaper and that the quotes published in the article were not his.

In his statement, Eastwood made it clear that he had not given an interview to the Courier or any other journalist recently. The article, which is said to contain critical statements about the film industry, was picked up by various US media outlets, which further fueled the debate about the authenticity of the quotes. Many fans and industry experts were disappointed as they found the content and format of the interview to be credible.

The background of the interview

The Courier explained that the interview was written by journalist Elisabeth Sereda, a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. She was commissioned to write a tribute to Eastwood's 95th birthday. In preparing the article, Sereda used quotes from various of Eastwood's previous interviews, dating back to 1976. This gave the article the impression of a brand new interview, but this did not meet the magazine's quality standards and was ultimately taken offline.

In light of these controversies, Eastwood expressed his regret that the film industry today is dominated by remakes and franchises. He emphasized: "We live in an era of remakes and franchises. I made sequels three times, but I haven't been interested in them for a long time." However, the journalist inserted these statements into the Courier article as reinterpreted quotes, which led to further confusion.

Reactions and consequences

The debate over the authenticity of the quotes also brought into discussion the practice of how journalists use material from previous interviews. There have been similar incidents in the past in which members of the HFPA reported using quotes from group press conferences. Eastwood himself clarified that he had never uttered the quotes used by Sereda in this context, which led to a significant loss of trust in the magazine. Ultimately, the collaboration with Sereda ended and the article received severe criticism.

The discussion about the authenticity of the quotes and journalistic integrity remains a hot topic in the media. Many hope that the controversies surrounding Eastwood will not cast a shadow over his remarkable career, which has spanned more than 70 years. The publication of his interview, which was incorrectly understood as new, has raised the question of how important clear boundaries and ethical standards are in journalism.

Overall, despite the controversy, Clint Eastwood is sticking to his image as a filmmaker and critical observer of the industry.

For more details on this story, check out the reporting from Amica and Variety read.