American actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood just turned 94 years old today. Known for his acting and directorial skills in some of the best Western movies of all time, Eastwood isn’t letting age stop him from filmmaking. With his upcoming movie Juror No. 2 under his belt, a cast member of the American thriller has nothing but “badass” things to say about him.
The last time Clint Eastwood was behind the camera was when he filmed Cry Macho back in 2021. Back in November, he was still putting his directorial talents to good use on the set of his next movie Juror No. 2 which resumed production once the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike ended. The Mindy Project’s Chris Messina, who worked with Eastwood on Juror No. 2, got honest in December about his initial expectations for the Dirty Harry actor. He recalled to People:
You think you’re going to get some tough guy and he is completely gentle and calm and fun and cracking jokes, and a lot of the crew members — [for example], the craft services woman has been with him for 22 years.
I feel like I would have the same expectations. If you take a look at Clint Eastwood’s best movies, one thing his characters have in common is their gritty, tough-guy personas. Whether it’s an unorthodox police inspector from the Dirty Harry series, a hardened boxer trainer in Million Dollar Baby, or a grizzled Korean War veteran in Gran Torino, it can be easy to believe you’re going to work with a director with as much grit as his memorable characters. But based on Chris Messina’s kind words, it looks like the real-life Eastwood has a “gentle” personality with a light-hearted nature to him.
When Chris Messina spoke to People about working with Clint Eastwood, his Juror No. 2 director was only 93 at the time. Back then, the Julie & Julia actor had badass things to say about him that I’d like to believe would still ring true today at Eastwood’s new age of 94.
He was awesome. I really loved him. Ninety-three years old and completely with it, great notes, up on his feet behind the camera. He’s a badass.
I have every reason to believe that Clint Eastwood is a “badass.” While many use this time in their ‘90s to retire and slow down, the Unforgiven actor and director previously said he still plans to work because he hasn’t found any excuse not to. Given what a Hollywood legend Eastwood is, I’m sure audiences aren’t going to refuse to see his movies no matter how old he is. It seems like he still has the strength to deliver more powerful films to the world of cinema.
Juror No. 2 is the latest Clint Eastwood movie that follows the plot of a jury member who believes he may be responsible for the victim’s death. Other than Chris Messina, the star-studded cast of the new thriller includes Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Zoey Deutch, Keifer Sutherland, and more. While postproduction wrapped up in April, a release date still hasn’t been set yet.
At having just turned 94 years old today, Clint Eastwood’s Juror No.2 actor Chris Messina confirms that his director is still a “badass” in his ‘90s as well as a “gentle” soul. It’s very inspiring to see Eastwood not letting age stop him from doing what he loves. Check in with our 2024 movie releases just in case Juror No. 2 makes its way there. Happy birthday, Clint Eastwood!