Actor Clint Eastwood decided to go with another actor to for this highly successful film instead of his son Scott. But getting turned down for the role might’ve benefited Scott in hindsight.
The Oscar-nominated Clint Eastwood movie Scott Eastwood auditioned for
Eastwood seemed to make sure that his son Scott didn’t succeed in Hollywood based off nepotism. The Unforgiven star had Scott pay his dues in the industry similarly to how Eastwood did back in the day.
“I was 18 years old when I called him and wanted to audition for Flags of Our Fathers,” Scott once told The Independent. “‘Well, we’ll see. I’ll give you a shot to audition.’ I auditioned for one of the bigger roles in Flags… and that obviously didn’t happen. But I did a good enough job so he hired me to do a couple of lines in the film. That’s how it rolls with him on every project. I’ve auditioned for a lot of the bigger roles in his films and never got them.”
The Eastwood and Bradley Cooper project American Sniper was no exception to this process. Scott figured he’d try out for a part in the film. Although he came up short, the rejection freed Scott up to do the romance film The Longest Ride. Which Scott was grateful for.
“I auditioned for American Sniper and didn’t get a role,” he recalled. “But it was actually perfect because it was around the time this film was gearing up so it was maybe a better thing. I would have loved to have been part of American Sniper but then I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do this film.”
Why Scott Eastwood didn’t want to use his father’s name when he began acting
Most know Scott as an Eastwood now, but when he was just beginning his acting career, he didn’t want to coast on his family’s name. So he went to auditions using his mother’s last name Reeves.
“Everyone wanted to represent Scott Eastwood, right? That’s the cheapest game in the book,” Scott once told Access (via Us Weekly). “I wanted to be an actor for me and to see if I could do it.”
Still, the Fury star acknowledged that the Eastwood name would open doors for him either way. But that didn’t guarantee he’d get t he film roles he auditioned for even after embracing his family name.
“Sure, I’ve had doors open for me,” Scott added. “But if you walk into an audition room and you can’t deliver . . . no one’s gonna hire you for the job. I’m gonna look at the glass half full and say that I’ve had a lot of great opportunities in my life because of my father and because of the way I was raised and the environment I was raised in.”
Scott Eastwood went to his father for advice on doing this film
Scott has often shared that one of the most valuable lessons Eastwood gave him was the value of hard work. Despite Eastwood’s millions, the actor didn’t even pay for Scott’s college, ensuring he’d become self-sufficient and independent.
“He made me pay my way through college. That was hard. But he knew the best lesson in life that he could teach me was that I had to learn to take care of myself and not expect any favors,” Scott once told Mirror.
Scott managed to navigate his way to a successful film career by himself thanks to his upbringing. But there was one feature the actor wanted Eastwood’s advice on. Scott starred in the David Ayer picture Suicide Squad back in 2016. He was mulling over whether or not he wanted to commit to James Gunn’s 2020 sequel.
“They didn’t want to pay me any money for those next movies and … they didn’t have another script for the other movie, so I didn’t know what I was going to be signing myself up for,” Scott once told Business Insider.
After speaking with his father, Scott decided against doing The Suicide Squad.
“I said, ‘They don’t want to pay me,’” Scott remembered. “He said, ‘If it feels like they really need you and if it’s a good part, then do it. If not, then don’t.’ I didn’t have the answer to those questions at that time. I wasn’t going to have the answers, and they were pressuring me. So ultimately it didn’t happen.”