Robert Lorenz’s latest cinematic venture as a director lies In the Land of Saints and Sinners. In a career spanning over 30 years, Lorenz has worked with some of Hollywood’s best and brightest, including his most recent collaboration on Saints and Sinners with Liam Neeson. However, in a new sit-down, Lorenz spoke about how much he learned from a true legend in Tinseltown: Clint Eastwood. Lorenz also addressed what might be Eastwood’s “final film,” Juror No. 2. Lorenz said during his exclusive interview with MovieWeb:
“You know, honestly, I thought he would have stopped by now. He doesn’t need to do it. I talked to him just before Juror #2. I’ve talked to him since then. But before that, when I talked to him, he said, ‘No, I don’t think I’m going to do anymore.’ And then the next thing I know he’s doing [ Juror No. 2 ].”
Lorenz continued:
So, you know, never say never with him. He’s up there now, he’s going to be 94 this year. That’s up there. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if that is the last movie. But like I said, never say never. He’s always full of surprises, that guy.
Learning from One of Hollywood’s Icons
Robert Lorenz’s career began working on the backlot of Roger Corman’s B-movie studio located in Venice, California. After moving to Los Angeles in 1989 to work in the film industry, Lorenz eventually became an assistant director on one of Clint Eastwood’s best films: The Bridges of Madison County (1995). As a producer, Lorenz’s credits include a slew of impressive titles and collaborations with Eastwood, including Oscar-winning projects like Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima, and American Sniper, as well as Changeling and Gran Torino, among so many others.
During his new interview, Lorenz discussed what he has learned from Eastwood over the years and how those experiences influenced his work as a director (Trouble with the Curve, The Marksman, In the Land of Saints and Sinners). Lorenz told MovieWeb in the same sit-down:
“Gosh, so much. Some of it I don’t even realize I picked up from him. I just kind of do it. It seems natural, and then I have to think about, ‘Oh, yeah, I probably do it because of him.’ We talked about casting. I mean, he always professes that if you cast a movie well, most of your job as a director is taken care of, and I truly believe that. I am always mindful of what he’s told me about casting people with different energy so that there’s two different things going on on-screen.”
Lorenz continued:
“So, there’s that, but then there’s just projecting a sense of confidence that focuses people to follow your lead. If they believe that you know what you’re doing and that you have a plan and that you’re executing that plan, they’re going to jump in line, and they’re going to give you their best. And he’s also a great believer in collaboration, and I’ve always embraced that.
“Let everybody, whether they’re an actor or a crew person, bring their creativity to there and show me what you’ve done so that I can choose and pick from all these great ideas. If nobody has an idea, I always have one. I know what I’m doing. But if other people contribute things, and that’s a better idea, I’m gonna switch — and then take credit for it! So all those things I think are really useful things that have helped me in my directing career.”
Be sure to check out more of MovieWeb’s interview with Lorenz as he dishes on Neeson and Kerry Condon’s fight to the death. And, at the time of this writing, Juror No. 2 has not received a specific release date. However, look for Eastwood’s “final film” sometime in the first half of 2024.