Clint Eastwood considered acting retirement but one role convinced him otherwise. Eastwood made his name as an actor, but once he broke through with movies like the Dollars Trilogy, he quickly set his sights on becoming a director too. He made his directorial debut with 1971 psychological thriller Play Misty For Me, and decades later is just as well known for his work behind the camera. Beginning with the 2000s, Eastwood made the transition from performing onscreen to directing full-time, with some noticeably large gaps between his acting appearances.
That might be down to the fact he was aging out of the kind of thriller and action roles he made his name with. The '90s saw Eastwood make some acclaimed work like Unforgiven - which he also directed - and In The Line Of Fire, but finding roles that were both interesting and age-appropriate became more difficult. 2002's lethargic thriller Blood Work was both a critical and commercial dud, with the scenes requiring him to shoot guns or perform stunts feeling stilted.
Million Dollar Baby Made Clint Reconsider Acting Retirement
Eastwood appears to have realized this too, as Blood Work marked his final time playing any kind of law enforcement role. It came close to being his final acting role too, at least according to an interview Eastwood gave to Reuters in 2008. During that chat, he was discussing both The Changeling and Gran Torino, which was his first acting appearance in four years at that time. "I think I started saying that back a few years ago, I said ‘I don’t think I’ll act anymore, I’ll stay behind the camera" but then "Million Dollar Baby came along and I liked that role."
That 2004 drama cast Eastwood as a grizzled, lonely boxing trainer named Frank who grows close to Hilary Swank's amateur boxer Maggie. The film starts as something of a Rocky-style underdog boxing drama that explores the bond that forms between Frank and Maggie, but the final act takes a turn toward tragedy. Frank is a role that suited an older Eastwood - who rejected Die Hard's script - perfectly and featured some of his most tender work as a performer during the 2000s. It also re-energized him on acting, though he decided he would only step in front of the camera for a part that spoke to him.
Why Clint Eastwood Acts So Rarely Now
That means Eastwood hasn't acted in many films since Million Dollar Baby. He only appeared in three movies since 2012; Trouble With The Curve, The Mule and 2021's Cry Macho. The financial disappointment of the latter may have severed his decades-long relationship with Warner Bros too, and the screen icon currently has no future acting or directing projects announced. Of course, he may be taking a well-earned break after essentially working non-stop since he started in show business, but hopefully, Eastwood - who has two horror roles - has a few more movies left in him.