Alex Carson
Clint Eastwood may be one of the most respected figures in Hollywood. But this respect has come at the cost of being feared, and sometimes hated, by many of his peers. The Unforgiven director remains unforgiven for numerous Hollywood grudges that have held against him over the course of his career. Join Facts Verse as we explore some of the many celebrities who hate Clint Eastwood.
Over the course of Clint Eastwood’s more than half-a-century-long career. He has appeared in and directed more films than the average person can likely recall without reference. He has won five Academy Awards, and even created his own production company. This company, known as Malpaso, is responsible for producing most of the legend’s films. The actor and director certainly likes to do things his way, and once was even mayor of a whole town!
Clint’s strong wills have caused him to butt heads with numerous celebrity figures over the course of the years, including fellow director Spike Lee. Spike Lee notoriously criticized some of Clint’s directorial choices regarding the latter’s pair of World War II features, Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers. According to Spike Lee, various races not represented in the film in a way that he felt was historically accurate. In return to this criticism, Clint told Spike that he needed to “shut his face”. Spike apparently took the loss, and the two have since made up.
Clint also got in a public feud with documentary filmmaker Michael Moore. After the release of Clint’s hit directorial effort American Sniper. Michael took to social media to inform people that he didn’t feel that snipers should portrayed in a positive light. According to him, American Sniper glorified snipers. And he took specific umbrage with this due to the fact that a sniper had killed his grandfather while fighting in World War II. Audiences certainly didn’t agree, as American Sniper was a box-office success.
The feud between Clint and Michael apparently came to a head when the two trapped under the same roof for a National Board of Review event. As legend has it, Clint announced in front of the entire audience that, if Michael Moore ever came to his house to perform one of the documentary filmmaker’s notorious candid interviews, Clint was going to take the opportunity to shoot him. Though the audience initially laughed, Clint scolded them and declared that he was being serious. Clint has since denied that this event took place, but not without agreeing that shooting Michael would be a good idea. Michael apparently stunned by the event, and hasn’t picked any fights with Clint since, especially not with the cameras rolling.
While the previous two people on this list have since made up with Clint. Our next example of a celebrity that hates Clint is content with being hated back. This is Red Hot Chili Pepper’s bassist Flea, who took to social media to disparage Clint after the elderly director made some remarks that Flea found inconsiderate to other races. Join Facts Verse as we explore some of the many celebrities who hate Clint Eastwood.
Clint had been speaking on the matter of political correctness, which he views as being detrimental to entertainment. According to Clint, things that didn’t used to considered racist now are, and he doesn’t like that one bit. Clint then went on to insult the generation of people that he feels is responsible for this type of cultural behavior.
While Clint didn’t name any names when disparaging this entire nondescript generation of people, there was one particular person that took issue with Clint’s statement. This person was Flea, who proceeded to blast Clint on social media. According to Flea, Clint’s remarks were detrimental to the human race’s ideological evolution. Clint never made any public response to Flea’s statements. And likely has no idea who Flea or the Red Hot Chili Peppers are.
While the three previous celebrities we’ve examined have all had relatively superficial reasons for picking fights with Clint. Our next celebrity maintained a much more personal and deserved grudge against the Hollywood legend. This is Sondra Locke, who lived with Clint for over a decade while the two romantically involved. Their relationship was both personal and professional, and ended in turmoil. Join Facts Verse as we explore some of the many celebrities who hate Clint Eastwood.
Clint escaped his and Sondra’s relationship relatively unscathed, but the same can’t said for her. The two became romantically involved while filming the 1976 film The Outlaw Josey Wales. After that, the pair moved in together and proceeded to star in five more films together before their messy and hectic separation.
According to Sondra, her and Clint’s relationship took a sour turn as soon as she expressed interest in developing a career outside of Clint’s films. Although Clint helped produce her 1986 directorial debut Ratboy. Sondra blamed her new artistic venture for causing Clint to lock her out of their house. Clint was able to get away with this by claiming that Sondra was simply an occasional roommate.
Sondra attempted to sue Clint for palimony. They ended up settling the case out of court, with one factor of the settlement being Clint getting Sondra a production deal as a director with Warner Brothers. However, this production deal revealed to be a scam when over 30 scripts submitted by Sondra rejected. She then sued Clint once again for fraud, though that case settled out of court, as well.
Sondra maintained her grudge against her former lover until her death. Expressing during her final years that she wished that she had spent half as much time with Clint as she did. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support! As well, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way! Join Facts Verse as we explore some of the many celebrities who hate Clint Eastwood.
If Clint Eastwood treats his lovers anything like he treats his actors. It’s no surprise that Sondra Locke grew to hold a massive grudge against her former romantic partner. Clint Eastwood has rubbed many of the actors that have worked with him the wrong way. Including such affable and legendary figures as Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio. Those actors worked with Clint only one time, in Sully and J. Edgar, respectively. Although both films were critical successes, their stars have expressed that they weren’t at all comfortable behind the scenes.
Tom Hanks likened Clint Eastwood’s approach to handling his directors to that of a cowboy handling cattle. This sure seems like an apt metaphor given the fact that Clint rose to prominence acting as a cowboy in numerous Westerns. Still, Tom wasn’t really meaning to pay Clint a compliment. According to Tom, he was constantly afraid that Clint was going to give him one of his signature glares on set. A look meaning that Clint wasn’t happy with the performance.
Tom has also shared that Clint wasn’t the only intimidating figure on the set of Sully, with the real life figure behind the story acting as an on-set consultant. That figure was pilot Chesley Sullenberger, and him and Clint were constantly butting heads about creative decisions during filming. As well, Chesley apparently scolded Clint on an occasion when the director showed up for filming over 20 minutes late. While Clint isn’t afraid to play the tough guy when it comes to other Hollywood players. Real tough guys like Chesley Sullenberger have been able to earn the director’s respect. Join Facts Verse as we explore some of the many celebrities who hate Clint Eastwood.
Leonardo DiCaprio had similar feelings as Tom Hanks when working with Clint for the biographical film J. Edgar. Although J. Edgar Hoover himself wasn’t an on-set consultant, the filming was apparently fairly stressful for DiCaprio. Leo was later lined up to star in Clint’s Richard Jewell, but decided to step down. Although J. Edgar was a success, it wasn’t successful enough to warrant Leonardo DiCaprio subjecting himself to another set that was being run by Clint Eastwood.
Finally, let’s take a look at one of the biggest and toughest critics that Clint Eastwood has ever faced. By the 1970s, Clint had made somewhat of a name for himself as an up-and-coming Western star. Some critics even saw fit to compare the burgeoning Clint with a young John Wayne. Although Clint may have been flattered by these comparisons, John Wayne wasn’t.
In 1975, Clint released his first self-directed Western film, High Plains Drifter. This film was decidedly darker than the average Western at the time. The film featured many amoral characters, including the titular character played by Clint himself. Although plenty of audience members were receptive to the notion of a darker Western, John Wayne saw the film and disliked it immensely.
John Wayne disliked High Plains Drifter so much that he immediately went home and began writing Clint an angry letter. The letter expressed John’s feelings that Clint was disrespecting the pioneers of the past by depicting the West as a time and place that was sinful. Clint laughed it off.
According to Clint, he understood where John was coming from but felt that it was just a difference in the outlooks of their two distinct generations. While John’s films were seeking to glorify the pioneers of the West, Clint’s films were looking to use the aesthetic of the Western to tell a more general fable. Clint’s Westerns were simply never focused on glorifying the history of the West.
Although Clint has rubbed all of these aforementioned people the wrong way, he has touched the hearts of many more through his work as an actor and director. Comment down below to share what your personal favorite Clint Eastwood film is, or if you were surprised to learn that there are so many celebrities that have negative views on the iconic Hollywood legend! As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
