Fame and fortune come at a steep cost. While everybody dreams of the glitz and the glamour, the reality is that there are plenty of reasons why notoriety may not be what we hope for.
Celebrities trade in their anonymity for renown, and in doing so, forfeit quiet moments alone. The more famous a person is, the more valuable their attention and time become. Gone are the days of toiling in obscurity; now everybody wants something from you.
But for Clint Eastwood, it all wasn’t so bad. In a 1962 interview with The Buffalo News, Eastwood spoke candidly about being approached by fans. Back then, Eastwood was Rowdy Yates, one of the main characters on the TV Western Rawhide. While he’d later go on to global superstardom, for the time being, Eastwood appreciated his smaller slice of celebrity.
“You probably think I hate signing autographs,” he said, “but I love it because I’d get a warm feeling at being recognized even if I were a butcher or a shoe clerk. This is their way of showing they like what I’m doing in Rawhide.”
His positive attitude was no doubt part of what audiences connected with as his star continued to ascend in Hollywood and abroad.
“I’m not susceptible to general flattery, but you’d be surprised how many of these people point to specific episodes as my strongest dramatically— in most cases, they echo exactly what my producer and director have said to me.”
More than perhaps any other modern movie star, Clint Eastwood built a massive audience of fans who were willing to follow his career for decades. More than they like any one particular role, Eastwood fans like Eastwood. Whether it’s for his steely gaze or his real-life approachability, Eastwood has been beloved for more than half a century.