Clint and Scott Eastwood have never teamed up for an interview together, so it’s no surprise the father-son duo had plenty to talk about in their first joint cover story.
The Eastwood’s are the focus of Esquire’s September issue hitting newsstands Tuesday, Aug. 9th, and they’re dishing on everything from the upcoming presidential election to their favorite pickup lines.
Clint kicked things off with a scathing assessment of today’s youth and current political climate, telling the magazine, “We’re really in a p—- generation. Everybody’s walking on eggshells.”
He added, “We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff. When I grew up, those things weren’t called racist.”
Those beliefs, he explained, played a part in his decision to direct 2008’s Gran Torino. “My associate said, ‘This is a really good script but it’s politically incorrect.’ And I said, ‘Good. Let me read it tonight.’ The next morning, I came in and I threw it on his desk and I said, ‘We’re starting this immediately.”
Despite his concern that political correctness have gone too far, Clint said the country actually needs to be even more understanding. “I’d say get to work and start being more understanding of everybody – instead of calling everybody names, start being more understanding,” he said.
As for what Scott has learned growing up with Hollywood’s most famous tough guy, the Suicide Squad actor said, “My father’s definitely old-school. And he raised me with integrity – to be places on time, show up and work hard.”
He also revealed he might follow in his father’s footsteps and move behind the camera one day. “… Like he says, it’s feast or famine for an actor. If you’re not creating your own material, then you’re just fighting for whatever’s out there. I definitely have the desire to go to the other side.”
Finally, Clint revealed his secret for picking up ladies: be famous. “I don’t have any great pickup lines. I was never an extrovert, so I always had to have someone meet me halfway. If she was interested, we’d come together, and if not … When I became a movie actor and became well-known, it took care of itself. Maybe that’s why I became an actOR.