Donald Trump fashions himself a hero from one of Clint Eastwood‘s movies — a real hard-boiled, no-nonsense, definition-of-masculinity type. But there’s only one Clint Eastwood: Clint Eastwood. (Trump is more the orangutan from Every Which Way but Loose, but louder and less charismatic.) Esquire recently spoke to the Gran Torino star and his son, Suicide Squad‘s Scott Eastwood, about how his characters “have become touchstones in the culture,” like how Trump has “even practiced your scowl.”
Clint’s response is something an old man would yell at a cloud.
He’s onto something, because secretly everybody’s getting tired of political correctness, kissing up. That’s the kiss-ass generation we’re in right now. We’re really in a p*ssy generation. Everybody’s walking on eggshells. We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff. When I grew up, those things weren’t called racist. And then when I did Gran Torino, even 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.” (Via Esquire)
When asked what he means by “p*ssy generation,” Clint answered, “All these people that say, ‘Oh, you can’t do that, and you can’t do this, and you can’t say that.’ I guess it’s just the times.” That’s actually the first scene from Clint’s follow-up to Sully, P*ssy Generation. Tom Hanks enters a room that’s devoid of people but full of chairs, yells, “Oh, you can’t do that, and you can’t do this, and you can’t say that,” and leaves. (The chairs are a metaphor for America.)
Clint understands where Trump is “coming from” when he speaks what’s on his mind, but doesn’t “always agree with it.” He also refuses to endorse him, or anyone. (Although he later admits that he’d vote for Trump before Hillary Clinton.) “I haven’t talked to Trump. I haven’t talked to anybody,” Clint said. “You know, he’s a racist now because he’s talked about this judge. And yeah, it’s a dumb thing to say. I mean, to predicate your opinion on the fact that the guy was born to Mexican parents or something. He’s said a lot of dumb things. So have all of them. Both sides. But everybody — the press and everybody’s going, ‘Oh, well, that’s racist,’ and they’re making a big hoodoo out of it. Just f*cking get over it. It’s a sad time in history.”
Things aren’t all “get off my lawn” for Clint, though: He made a new best friend. “There’s a squirrel around here. I like to put peanuts out for him. He’s a nice guy. He comes right into the office sometimes. The other day, I opened the door and he was clinging on to it.” That’s what America needs right now: less political correctness and more nice-guy squirrels.
(Via Esquire)
