Clint Eastwood on His New Film, ‘Trouble with the Curve,’ and RNC Speech - East Idaho News
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Clint Eastwood on His New Film, ‘Trouble with the Curve,’ and RNC Speech

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Getty E 091512 ClintEastwood?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1347730969367Indigo/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — With the pending release of his first movie in nearly four years, in which he worked for a director other than himself for the first time in almost two decades, actor Clint Eastwood spoke to Good Morning America exclusively about his highly anticipated film, Trouble With the Curve, which stars Justin Timberlake and Amy Adams, and his now-famous Republican National Convention speech.

The film paints a stunning portrait of aging and a father’s complicated relationship with a beloved daughter.

“The project appealed to me in the story and there was a character in there I thought I could play,” Eastwood, 82, said. “He’s an old man who doesn’t want anybody to take care of him.”

Eastwood plays Gus Lobel, a baseball scout who decides to bring his daughter, Mickey, (played by Adams) on one final recruiting trip.

Justin Timberlake plays Johnny Flanagan, a rival team’s scout.  It is set to hit theaters Sept. 21 and is directed by Robert Lorenz.

Eastwood hopes viewers will be left inspired after watching the film.

“It’s telling us that understanding is an important thing in life and to appreciate the little things,” he said.

Eastwood’s Convention Speech

As for his convention speech at the Republican National Convention Aug. 30, when he called unemployment in America “a national disgrace” before interviewing an empty chair he addressed as “President Obama,” the veteran actor told ABC News’ Nick Watt that he “didn’t want to upstage anybody.”

“I just wanted to talk. And you go out there and everybody is screaming and yelling. It’s a bit overwhelming,” said Eastwood, a former mayor of hometown Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif. “I’m not a politician running for office. I just had a little statement I wanted to make about politicians who work for us.

“They are the employees, the people we elect. If they don’t do it successfully, we have to analyze it accordingly. I was just trying to give a practical statement towards anybody out there who gets overly idealistic about things.”

During his RNC speech, Eastwood asked, “Mr. President, how do you handle promises you made when you were running for election?”

The speech sparked an Internet buzz and started Twitter trends such as #Eastwooding, where tweeters post pictures of empty chairs.

Despite the ribbing Eastwood gave him, President Obama told USA Today that he is still a “huge Clint Eastwood fan.”

When asked about this, Eastwood said, laughing, “Well that’s his [Obama’s] bad judgment. Actually, he seems very charming to me.”

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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