Alex Carson
At 91 years old, Hollywood actor and director Clint Eastwood has lived a longer and more fruitful life than most. The film legend’s career has lasted over seven decades, and he has starred in over 50 films. Clint tries to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, and has no plans to retire from filmmaking anytime soon. However, the director had one major near-death experience while flying on an airplane. This is what inspired him to make the film Sully. Join Facts Verse as Clint Eastwood opens up about his near-death experience.
At age 91, Clint Eastwood doesn’t seem to be showing many signs of slowing down. The actor and director made eight films in the 2010s. And has a new film scheduled to come out later this year, in September of 2021. The film legend has maintained his longevity by eating healthy and staying active. However, all the healthy habits in the world not enough to save Clint from a near-death experience that he endured while flying on a United States Navy plane.
Apparently, Clint hitching a ride on a United States Navy aircraft when the vehicle suddenly spun out of control due to bad weather and a lack of oxygen. The plane flying over the ocean off the coast of California. And began to spiral into the water as the engine went out. Clint has recalled barely seeing the Golden Gate Bridge through the storm clouds as the plane descended into the water, prompting the panicked star to buckle his safety belt in preparation for the impact.
As soon as the plane hit the water, Clint has said that it bounced about for several moments in the waves. Clint and the panicked crew of the plane looked at each other. and soon realized that the plane beginning to sink into the ocean. They decided that there was nothing they could do besides jump into the water and attempt to swim to shore.
The water that Clint and the plane crew forced to jump into apparently freezing cold. And it was also moving about wildly due to the ongoing storm overhead. Still, all of them managed to get to shore safely. However, they had become separated in the raging waters. And all members of the party worried that the others had drowned.
Thankfully, everyone aboard the plan eventually managed to get in touch with each other. And they all recovered from the incident without a hitch. As well, the experience certainly came in handy when it was time for Clint to direct the motion picture Sully many years later.
Clint’s near-death experience on that Navy airplane played a large part in the director’s decision to take on the story of Chesley Sullenberger. Whose heroic emergency landing of an airplane in 2009 saved over a hundred lives. According to Clint, he had the exact experience necessary to bring a sense of realism and urgency to the story. However, the real Chesley Sullenberger was on set for much of the filming. And didn’t always agree with Clint’s takes on the action.
Sully released in 2016, and featured Tom Hanks portraying the titular heroic character. Both Tom and Clint received a great deal of praise. And the film helped shed some more public attention on the real hero that inspired it. The film was also a commercial success, earning over $200 million dollars in theaters. Critics praised the film for it’s realism, as well as the intensity of it’s heart-pounding action scenes. Clint routinely expressed during the film’s promotion that he drew upon his real-life near-death experience when crafting these scenes. Granting them a level of authenticity. Given that Clint knew exactly how it felt to be on an airplane that was crashing into the water. It’s understandable that he viewed himself as the perfect director for the film.
Since the release of Sully in 2016, Clint has made several more films. One such film was the 2018 drama The Mule, which Clint also starred in. However, the aging director decided to remain behind the scenes for 2018’s The 15:17 to Paris and 2019’s Richard Jewell. Like Sully, both of these films examined real-life heroes responsible for averting national tragedies. However, both of these films released to much less unanimous acclaim than Sully was.
Given the onset arguments that Clint ran into with real-life hero Chesley Sullenberger while filming Sully the director decided to perform an experiment and allow the heroes to portray themselves in his 2018 film The 15:17 to Paris. The film revolved around three men that stopped a terrorist attack on a train heading from Amsterdam to Paris. And Clint allowed the three men to portray themselves. Although it’s a noble experiment, critics not happy about these real-life heroes’ supposed lack of acting abilities. Clint returned to using real actors with 2019’s Richard Jewell. Though critics and audiences still didn’t receive the film quite as positively as Clint would have liked. Hopefully, the director’s most recent effort will prove to be a stunning return to form!
Now that Clint is in his 90s, many of his fans are fearfully counting the days until the screen legend’s inevitable retirement. However, that retirement doesn’t seem to be coming up anytime soon. Clint has recently finished filming his most recent feature, which was filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film also features Clint returning to the status of lead actor. 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!
Given the fact that Clint Eastwood is 91 years old and still apparently as busy as ever. Many fans are often curious about the aging star’s living habits. It stands to reason that one wouldn’t be able to function so well in their twilight years without taking care of their nutrition and staying active. Unsurprisingly, Clint has expressed that he is no stranger to healthy living. Though the filmmaker has been known to enjoy his food, he is always sure to refrain from overindulging. As well, he maintains an active lifestyle that he says helps keep him on his toes. However, he is sure to never push himself too far in his old age.
Some of the physical activities that Clint partakes in to stay active include golfing and long walks. These light activities are just enough to keep the aging star on his feet, While being relaxing enough to insure that he doesn’t push himself past his limits. As well, Clint still puts his all into each and every one of his films. And likely burns more calories during a day on set than he would if he were out on the golf course.
Although Clint is the first to admit that his body certainly isn’t as capable as it once was. He claims that his brain is sharper than ever. He attributes this sharpness to his healthy living habits, as well as the general wisdom that he’s collected over the years. The director’s youthful brain is what allows him to keep making films. Though his aging body keeps him from starring in as many as he used to. Still, fans can look forward to seeing Clint’s return to acting when his most recent directorial effort comes to theaters in 2021.
Clint’s most recent directorial effort is a neo-Western film by the name of Cry Macho. Clint produced and directed the film, which was filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film is based on the 1975 novel of the same name. Which was the debut novel of famed novelist and playwright N. Richard Nash. Nash also wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation, shortly before his death in the year 2000.
The film adaptation of Cry Macho has sat idly in pre-production for the past two decades, with many filmmakers and actors attached. However, it was Clint who finally decided to step up to the plate and get the job done under his Malpaso Productions label. The film is scheduled to be released in theaters in September of 2021, and will also be available for streaming on HBO Max.
While Clint is certainly proud of the dozens and dozens of films that he has starred in and directed over the years, he is even prouder of his numerous children. These children included Kyle, Alison, Scott, and Francesca, who all chose to follow in their father’s footsteps and craft some kind of career in the entertainment industry. While all four of these aforementioned offspring have dabbled in acting, Kyle is also a notable jazz musician.
Clint Eastwood has been married twice, and divorced from his second wife in 2014. Since then, the actor has been in a relationship with a woman by the name of Christina Sandera. Christina is a former restaurant hostess that is several decades younger than Clint, but the two have maintained a healthy six-year relationship that seems to be going strong.
Clint turned 91 on May 31, 2021. The actor celebrated his 91st birthday with Christina, as well as several of his many kids. Alison and Scott both stopped by Clint’s home in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, to wish their father a happy birthday. The rest of his children sent their wishes via phone calls and text messages, with Clint preferring to keep his birthdays as light and casual as possible. Given that the Hollywood legend has had 91 of them, it’s understandable.
Clint Eastwood has been in the entertainment industry for over seven decades. He has starred in over 50 films, many of which he also directed. Comment down below to share what your personal favorite Clint Eastwood film is, or if you were shocked to learn about that star’s near-death experience aboard a United States Navy aircraft. 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!
