Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood is speaking out against fake news after an Austrian newspaper published a phony interview that he says never happened. The legendary actor and director is warning both fans and the media to be careful about what they read, especially when it comes to stories that sound too good—or too wild—to be true.
The controversy started when the German-language Austrian newspaper Kurier published what it claimed was an exclusive interview with 95 year old Eastwood. In the article, Eastwood was quoted as criticizing Hollywood for relying on reboots, remakes, and a lack of new ideas. The story quickly went viral, with major outlets like Variety picking it up and spreading the false quotes even further.
But Eastwood, who just turned 95, is setting the record straight. In a statement, he said:
“A couple of items about me have recently shown up in the news. I thought I would set the record straight. I can confirm I’ve turned 95. I can also confirm that I never gave an interview to an Austrian publication called Kurier, or any other writer in recent weeks, and that the interview is entirely phony.”
The fake interview, which was published around Eastwood’s birthday, claimed he missed “the good old days when screenwriters wrote movies like Casablanca in small bungalows on the studio lot.” It also quoted him as saying, “We live in an era of remakes and franchises[…]My philosophy is: do something new or stay home.”
Now, Kurier says it is “investigating the matter,” according to France24. However, the newspaper’s publishers have not commented on how the bogus interview made it to print or what they plan to do about it.
Elisabeth Sereda, a longtime member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that puts on the Golden Globes, also released a statement claiming her quotes from the legendary actor are authentic. She explained the quotes were taken from older H.F.P.A. interviews with the “Dirty Harry” star, with some of them dating back to the ’70s.
“So while Mister Eastwood may not be familiar with the publication Kurier, he is certainly familiar with the H.F.P.A. — having given more than 20 interviews to the group dating back to 1976,” she wrote in a statement obtained by The New York Times.
So her claim and qualifier is that Eastwood did say all those things, but across other interviews over the years. Not in a sit-down question-and-answer interview.
“Quotes from Mr. Eastwood cited in the story are culled from several of those 14 press conferences I attended and covered,” she said in a statement obtained by Variety.
Kurier did note that Sereda crafted the story like an interview and “not a portrait,” which created “the impression that it was a new interview.” The newspaper said this went against their standards and they have cut ties with the writer, saying in a statement:
“Even though no quote is fabricated, the interviews are documented, and the allegation of falsification can be refuted, we will no longer work with the author in the future because transparency and our strict editorial standards are paramount to us.”
Nevertheless, Clint Eastwood’s quick response is a reminder that fake news can spread fast, especially when it involves big names. He’s showing fans and the media that it’s important to check the facts and not believe everything you read, no matter how convincing it might seem.
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English (US) · 