Clint Eastwood blasts Hollywood in bombshell interview… that he NEVER gave: Star slams Austrian paper over ‘phoney' Q&A
The 95-year-old acting icon was directly quoted bashing Hollywood in the article - despite him now labelling the Q&A as "phoney".
Advertisement
6
Clint Eastwood, 95, has hit out at the Austrian newspaper for the 'phoney' Q&A
Credit: Getty
6
Eastwood in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in 1966
Credit: Alamy
6
The supposed interview was published in Kurier, a Vienna-based paper with around 100,000 readers
Credit: Worldshop
Despite his age meaning his career on the big screen has all but finished, Eastwood's name was brought up again after his comments on the state of the film industry went viral.
Kurier, a Vienna-based paper with around 100,000 readers, published a major Q&A spread with the Dirty Harry star on Friday.
The main takeaway from the supposed interview was just how much Eastwood despised how reliant Hollywood has become on sequels and franchises.
One of Eastwood's responses to a journalist's question said: 'I long for the good old days when screenwriters wrote movies like Casablanca in small bungalows on the studio lot.
Advertisement
read more in Clint Eastwood
"When everyone had a new idea.
'We live in an era of remakes and franchises. I've shot sequels three times, but I haven't been interested in that for a long while.
"My philosophy is: do something new or stay at home.'
The answer stirred up days of debates from film buffs who argued both sides of the fence.
Advertisement
Most read in Celebrity
But Eastwood soon chimed in on the argument himself as he blasted the original interview as 'entirely phony".
He claims he has never given those comments to Kurier and hasn't been interviewed by anyone in the past few weeks.
Clint Eastwood attends the 20th Annual AFI awards
The paper's editor has since conceded the quotes were in fact not from a formal interview with Eastwood who turned 95 last month.
Instead, they were repackaged by a writer who had spoken to the actor at more than a dozen media events in the past.
Advertisement
Elisabeth Sereda, a US-based Austrian journalist, had 'convincingly explained" to editor Martin Gebhart that her and Eastwood have met on 18 occasions at round table media events.
This meant the quotes were a compilation of statements made by the actor over the years.
But Gebhart did admit that the way the article was presented as a tell-it-all exclusive chat went against his quality standards.
He then said he will no longer work with the Sereda as of a result.
Advertisement
The story has also since been withdrawn from the paper's website entirely.
Gebhart said: 'Even though no quotes were fabricated, the interviews are documented, and the accusation of fabrication can be refuted, we will no longer work with the author in the
future
."
Michael Schumacher fake AI interview torment
MICHAEL Schumacher's family were paid £170,000 in compensation after a magazine published a fake AI-generated interview with the F1 racing legend.
German publication Die Aktuelle claimed last April to have secured a 'world exclusive' with the severely injured Ferrari great – who has not been seen in public since his 2013 skiing accident.
In a two-page spread, promoted with a picture of Schumacher, it claimed the seven-time F1 champ had said 'My life has totally changed'.
It promised it was not a story based on "half-sentences from friends" but it's "the incredible interview" with the F1 star with "redeeming answers to the most burning questions that the whole world has been asking for so long."
The rest of the article was written in Q&A form, with an AI chatbot designed to mimic celebrities making up the answers Michael would supposedly give.
The bot even spoke about the racing hero's physical condition, family and future recovery prospects.
Die Aktuelle only admitted the quotes, which used graphic details to describe his injuries, were written by a chatbot in a note on the inside pages.
The shameless interview just goes to show how "poisoned" bots can be weaponised, an expert warned.
Sereda is known for publishing celebrity based articles for Kurier and other Austrian media.
She is also a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and listed as a voting member on the website of the Golden Globes.
Advertisement
After Eastwood's admission, Jude Law's team also made similar comments on Sereda's work.
She had published an interview claiming to be from the English actor earlier this year.
Sources close to
Law
said no interview has ever taken place and that the only time those direct quotes would have been made would have been at a press conference at the Toronto international film festival last year.
Eastwood is still working as a director with his most recent movie being Juror #2 which was released in November last year.
Advertisement
He has long been an influential figure in Hollywood for bis longevity and ability.
Since breaking through with the 1964 film of A Fistful of Dollars, Eastwood has continued as a leading man for decades.
He has even received the ultimate honour as a director through two Academy Award's for best director with 1992's Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby in 2005.
6
Eastwood in 2019
Credit: Getty
Advertisement
6
The acting legend in Dirty Harry
Credit: Getty
6
In 2023, a German publisher claimed to have an exclusive interview with Michael Schumacher despite them using AI
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
33 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Andy Murray lands shock new business deal as tennis legend takes on new role after splitting from Novak Djokovic
SIR ANDY MURRAY has landed a shock new business deal with a POTATO company. The tennis legend has taken on a new role at the Scottish spud company Albert Bartlett. Advertisement 2 Sir Andy Murray will be working with the potato brand Albert Bartlett 2 He will be the face of the company's adverts Credit: Getty Murray, 38, will be the new face of the brand after signing a long-term partnership to market its products. It comes after his Albert Bartlett is based in Airdrie in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Murray is believed to have familiarised himself with their potatoes more than ten years ago. Advertisement READ MORE ON SPORT The brand is also a long-term supplier for the five-star Cromlix hotel owned by Murray near Dunblane. Albert Bartlett is family-owned and was founded back in 1948. A statement over the partnership said it brings "two Scottish-born British icons with shared community vision and family values [together].' Murray will be "encouraging the nation to enjoy a healthy lifestyle through sport and a balanced diet'. Advertisement Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN He will be promoting both the frozen and chilled potato product ranges. Murray said: "I was lucky during my early playing days to have access to the kit and facilities required to play and develop, and as my career progressed, to have the best diet and training advice available. Carlos Alcaraz makes it through to Wimbledon second week then throws down huge challenge to Sir Andy Murray "I am excited to partner with Albert Bartlett to showcase the importance of a balanced diet and an active lifestyle to communities across the UK. Advertisement "I hope the project inspires people to play and enjoy sport throughout their lives, at whatever level they are able. Chief executive Alex Bartlett added: 'Andy is someone who has engaged and inspired his home nation and sports fans around the world, delivering that long-awaited British [male] Wimbledon win, not only once, but twice. "Along with his US Open win and two Olympic golds. 'So, who better to engage the nation again and help us serve up the inspiration and resource required to get the nation active and nourished with tasty home-grown produce?' Advertisement It is not the first Scottish brand Murray has teamed up with. Last month, he became the Andy Murray's career timeline SIR Andy Murray is Great Britain's most successful tennis player of the Open era. After breaking through in 2005 to reach the Wimbledon third round at 18, the Scot was British No1 by the following year. In 2008 he reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open, only to fall to Roger Federer in straight sets. Two more final defeats at the Australian Open to Federer and Novak Djokovic followed in 2010 and 2011 before heartbreak at Wimbledon in 2012. Despite taking the first set against Federer, he fell 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 in front of a home crowd before breaking into tears on Centre Court. But a month later on the same court he beat the Swiss legend to earn Team GB a gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics. And weeks after that he broke his Grand Slam duck at the fifth attempt, beating Djokovic in five sets in the US Open final. In 2013, following another Australian Open final loss, Murray beat Djokovic in straight sets to become the first British man in 77 years to win the Wimbledon title. Three more losing Grand Slam finals followed, at the 2015 and 2016 Australian Opens and the 2016 French Open. But in his third Grand Slam final of 2016, Murray won Wimbledon again with a straight sets victory over Canadian Milos Raonic. He followed it up with his second Olympic gold medal, beating Juan Martin del Potro in a four-hour epic in the final in Rio de Janeiro. Later in 2016 Murray became world No1 - the first British man to do so in history. Over his career Murray reached 11 Grand Slam finals, winning three. He won two Olympic golds and a silver (in the mixed doubles alongside Laura Robson). He finishes his career with 46 titles and over £50million in earnings, making him the fourth all-time leader in earnings. His final match was at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he lost in the quarter-final of the men's doubles at Roland Garros to USA pair Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz.
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Killeagh's No 1 - and it's a contemporary home going for a song
EAST Cork's Killeagh is having its moment of fame.... and here's a high-end home with a down-home price in which to bask in its sudden stardom. Home to c 1,000 souls, living along the N25 between Midleton and the sea at Youghal, Killeagh took its latest leap to increased recognition and appreciation when the local leg of the 23km-long East Cork Greenway connected in Killeagh along a former rail line, with a trail head link for cyclists, walkers, and buggy pushers to the lovely, local Glenbower Wood. The Killeaghs? Kingfishr have put Killeagh on the map far beyond East Cork Then, as if that was an omen of things to come, a song called 'Killeagh', written in 20 minutes about the local GAA club's love of all things hurling, shot to No 1 in the Irish singles charts: it saw the band behind it, Kingfishr, heading two nights at the Marquee, where their anthem rang loud (twice, it also made their encore) as well as raised the roof at the All Ireland Cork-Tipperary hurling final the same month, sadly to no ultimate cup-lifting avail for Cork. Raise a glass so to Killeagh's Glen Villa, a one-off home created a decade ago for his own family by builder Conor McNamara, of Absolute Homes, who is now selling as the clan enter the college-going years and he's got a site in the city to go again. 'I suppose we got a bit carried away,' he quips of the 3,250 sq ft East Cork home designed by architect Paul Horgan. The house is full of crisp lines, engaging roofs, ridges and eaves profiles, fine finishes, and smart ideas (sliding 'pocket wall' divide off the kitchen for an out-of-sight work area, anyone?), along with an A2 BER, future proofing and low running costs, plus a site divided in two and giving two access options. Man cave There's even a 'man cave' in a garden corner, complete with stove and Jacuzzi for a touch of Love Island meets Big Brother meets Killeagh GAA and the Dissour river valley and all going for a song, relatively speaking? Glen Villa is fresh to market with East Cork estate agent James Colbert, who prices it at what seems like a modest starter of €675,000 — accepting that it's under the cost of construction for anyone else but a builder to emulate and possibly underplaying Killeagh's newfound popularity? At the size/price ratio it equates to €2,200 per square metre, at a time when one-off build costs are generally put at €3,000 psm and when Absolute Home's Mr McNamara says that a standard, A-rate bungalow currently costs the bones of €500,000. Bespoke, like most of his builds, Glen Villa is far, far from bare bones, and was designed by Midleton-based architect Paul Horgan, of Horgan Carroll (now Ailtiri Architects), who got the planning back in 2013/14, when the McNamaras lived in a home next door on Killeagh's Cork Rd, sold to fund Glen Villa. This house features Horgan's distinctive, exposed roof timbers under eaves, with mono-pitch and flat-roof sections on this deep, broken floor plan, where little or nothing is given away as to the scale of the home from passing glimpses over the front boundary wall on the Cork Rd (a handy back route towards Cork City via Mogeely and then Midleton, which avoids Castlemartyr's traffic snarls). Finding eaves It's built 'block on flat' with 220mm of exterior insulation for super warmth, with exact airtightness, Lotus wood panelling, triple-glazed windows and doors from Munster Joinery, heat-recovery system, warm-roof construction (Trocal membrane topped), and Swedish-style Supergrund 'Kore' foundations, typically used for passive builds. Visited on Friday last with outside temperatures in the mid-20s, Glen Villa was more than warm, with doors pulled back to the vast limestone patio and with views over to the even hotter hot tub and entertainment/relaxation room: Next step, an ice bath? The grounds are landscaped, with paving, planting at the perimeter, and gravel and astroturf, while a screened rear section is accessed via a gate by the entertainment room and has planning granted for a large garage or possible pod/home office, with independent gate access via Killeagh Gardens, and also allowing for a more greened garden, if next owners so wish. Accommodation spans four en-suite, first-floor bedrooms, the main one super-large with three floor-to-ceiling windows facing south, while another, with a tall roof pitch, has steep steps up to a mezzanine with clerestory windows, something which will be embraced by slightly older children who'll manage the steps. Step up? On the ground floor is a main, open-plan living/dining/kitchen, built with entertaining in mind, plus a second family reception room, a large, airy hall with glass-balustered stairs and service kitchen/utility linking to an integrated garage/hobby room, which is easily converted to more residential usage, if desired. Fittings and finishes are at the sleek and luxury end of the scale, with granite-topped kitchen units and island. There's an integrated garage at the front of the house, once you have passed the electric access gates, there's CCTV, a vent by a garden wall for the main living area's wide, integrated flame fire (necessary, as the house is air-tight) and, a first in this reporter's experience, a water trough (for a pet dog) that is self-refilling, and is sort of a canine equivalent of a farmer's cattle trough: 'It's built with longevity and lifestyle in mind,' observes agent James Colbert. Suite dreams VERDICT: Killeagh on the crest? Family living lifestyle in East Cork, near the greenway, with a creche next door, Killeagh village nearby, GAA grounds, and Glenbower wood on the doorstep, heritage homes along the main street, bookended by The Thatch bar, and beaches beyond along the East Cork coastline, all for the price of a decent, suburban Cork City semi-detached house and going for a relative song called 'Killeagh'?
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Champagne and other tasty bubbles for all budgets
Bollinger headed up Bollinger Champagne for 30 years, after being widowed in 1941 by third-generation owner Jacques Bollinger. She spent those decades making the most of her access to some of the finest wine known to mankind (Champagne being, primarily, a wine). Most of us mortals don't get to drink Champagne so frequently: neither our pockets, our diaries nor our livers could afford it. But she makes an excellent point about the versatility of Champagne and indeed other bottle-fermented sparkling wines produced with the same traditional method like crémant and cava. As complex wines, they can be paired with any part of a meal, from aperitif through starters, mains and desserts, or they can be enjoyed as a solo treat or as the heart of a party. Champagne is traditionally a blend of three local grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Where Chardonnay brings grace, elegance and light, the pinots bring red fruit notes and structure. Bollinger is long beloved for it high Pinot Noir content, but its PN series takes that further, with each year's release featuring exclusively Pinot Noir Champagnes and showcasing a specific subregion. Today's wine of the week is the latest release: Bollinger PN TX20 blends five components of Pinot Noir-based Champagne. The two base wines were from the 2020 vintage, from two adjacent vineyards in Tauxières, one chalk-based, one clay-based. Both were vinified and aged as Champagne, and then blended with three older 'reserve' wines, from 2019, 2012 and 2008. The result is extraordinary and worthy of a special intimate celebration. You'll find earlier releases like PN VZ19 (€130) and PN AYC18 (€140) in Bubble Brothers, Brown Thomas, The Corkscrew, Mitchell & Son and Jus De Vine. I've also included four other bubbles of very different styles and prices. The pet nat is for purists, the prosecco delivers well above its affordable tag, and both the cava and crémant are made in Champagne's traditional method at a fraction of the price. Or, from France's favourite champagne producer, O'Brien's now has the keenly priced Nicolas Feuillatte Reserve Exclusive Brut Champagne (€40, from €50): bright with brioche, white flowers, lemon and apricot notes, mineral bite and a properly dry finish, serve as an elegant aperitif or with crab or oysters. Wines of the week Bollinger PN TX20, Champagne, France, 12.5pc, €130 Just landed in Ireland, this superb new release from Bollinger's exclusively Pinot Noir 'PN series' showcases the warm, wet 2020 vintage in two adjacent vineyards in Tauxières. Complex, creamy and perfumed notes of mirabelle plums, raspberry and bergamot with an earthy backdrop and a textural quality, this is chalky, nervy and mineral with sweet subtle spice notes of vanilla, tonka bean, clove and hay. Magic with grilled lobster or any umami-rich shellfish; savour with someone special rather than a crowd. Grapevine Dalkey and independent stockists Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry 2024, Italy, 11pc, €13.49 Clean and fresh with fine, fully sparkling bubbles (spumante style, as opposed to lightly sparkling frizzante), this is a little sweeter than a Brut (extra dry means 12g-17g sugar per litre) but well balanced, with delicate peach and papaya, a zesty palate and dry finish. Perfect solo or with seafood nibbles. Lidl Crémant de Bourgogne Mancey Brut Réserve, Burgundy, France, 12pc, €22.99 (from 25.99) ADVERTISEMENT Crémant is a French sparkling wine produced outside Champagne but in the same traditional method. This blends Chardonnay, Aligoté and Pinot Noir grapes to ripe, rich effect, with toasted nuts, brioche and baked apple balanced by citrus freshness. O'Briens Wine; La Sapata Petiant Artizanal Bābeasā Neagrā Rosé, Romania, 12.5pc, €22.50 Pet-nat is made in the 'ancestral method', with secondary bottle fermentation. This rustic, unfiltered example from Podgoria Sarica Niculitel AOC will wake your palate with its tart freshness, before wooing it with fragrant apricot, mandarin and strawberry charm. Divisive, but delicious, especially with seafood ceviche. Wines Direct, Athlone and Mullingar; Carles Andreu Brut Reserva DO Cava 2022, Serra de Prades, Spain, 11.5pc, €23.95 (from €27.25) A case of this organic, grower-made cava would be a well-priced alternative to grower Champagne for a special gathering. Lees aged for 25 months, with blossom and brioche, lemon sherbet and green apple, good weight and a dry finish. Wines Direct, Athlone and Mullingar;
