Before Being a Famous Hollywood Actor and Director $375M Rich Clint Eastwood Worked as a Politician Like Arnold Schwarzenegger
As Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry films in the 1970s and 1980s, Clint Eastwood gained recognition and is considered as one of the finest performers and directors of all time. These roles helped establish him as a cultural icon of masculinity.
Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, who served as California’s 38th governor from 2003 to 2011, the actor-director, who was known for his outspoken opinions, had a strong interest in politics before he became a well-known and critically acclaimed star in the industry. Let’s find out more.
Also read: “Gimme the Doll Kid”: Clint Eastwood Was Forced to Use a Fake Baby in His $547 Million Worth War Movie
Clint Eastwood elected as the mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea
Back in 1986, the actor-filmmaker Clint Eastwood, won the election as the nonpartisan mayor of a small California town, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and served one term before he was later appointed to the California State Parks and Recreation Commission in 2001. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom he supported in elections of 2003 and 2006 reappointed him in 2004.
During his tenure as the mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, the actor-filmmaker supported small business interests while advocating for environmental protection and constructed a library annex, public washrooms, beach walkways, and tourist parking. Eastwood, as the mayor, made overnight campfires illegal on Carmel Beach and became a spokesperson for Take Pride in America, which is an agency of the US Department of the Interior advocating taking responsibility for natural, cultural, and historic resources.
According to reports online, the ace filmmaker-actor had stayed politically active in his time as mayor and has been an outspoken supporter of the Republican Party. He delivered a cracking speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention where he endorsed Mitt Romney and during his speech referred to an empty chair as Barack Obama. His speech lasted for 12 minutes and was reportedly mostly improvisational.
Clint Eastwood addressed the empty chair skit, saying it was inspired by Neil Diamond
After the viral empty chair skit, Clint Eastwood revealed to CNBC during an interview that his empty chair skit was inspired by Neil Diamond’s song I Am…I Said what he said he had heard over the radio in his Tampa Hotel and it included lyrics about an empty chair not hearing what the singer was trying to say.
He explained as quoted in MovieLine, “My only message was [that] I wanted people to take the idolizing factor out of every contestant out there. Just look at the work, look at the background, and then make a judgment on that. I was just trying to say that, and did it in kind of a roundabout way which took a lot more time, I suppose, than they would have liked. I’d probably say something else, but I’d try to get the same message across so that people don’t have to kiss up to politicians.”
The filmmaker continued, “No matter what party they’re at, you should evaluate their work and make your judgments accordingly. That’s the way to do it in life and every other subject, but sometimes in America we get gaga, we look at the wrong values.”
The actor was later quoted in Business Insider when he was asked if the empty chair is something that he considers silly, to which he said “It was silly at the time, but I was standing backstage and I’m hearing everybody say the same thing: ‘Oh, this guy’s a great guy.’ Great, he’s a great guy. I’ve got to say something more. And so I’m listening to an old Neil Diamond thing and he’s going, ‘And no one heard at all / Not even the chair.’”
Clint Eastwood turned down the opportunity to play Superman for a Marvel character
Even though the actor-filmmaker had a successful political career, he did not sideline himself from the entertainment industry and recent reports have suggested that the actor was offered the role of Superman back in 1978 but he decided to turn it down as he wanted to play Marvel hero Namor the Sub-Mariner.
In an interview with Far Out Magazine, the actor recalled, “I was like, ‘Superman? Nah, nah, that’s not for me.’ Not that there’s anything wrong with it. It’s for somebody, but not me. The Sub-Mariner, that’s the one I always liked. I had all of those comics when I was a kid.”
Actor Tenoch Hurta in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever played the character of Namor and was highly praised for it.
