Austrian daily under fire after Clint Eastwood slams ‘phony' interview
VIENNA: An Austrian newspaper came under fire Tuesday after Hollywood star Clint Eastwood said an alleged interview with him published by the paper to mark his 95th birthday was 'entirely phony'.
The row was sparked by a purported interview with the Oscar-winning actor and director carried by the German-language Kurier newspaper Friday.
In the interview, which was picked up widely by American media over the weekend, Eastwood criticises a lack of fresh ideas in the current film industry as 'we live in an era of remakes and franchises'.
'I long for the good old days when screenwriters wrote films like 'Casablanca' in small bungalows on the studio lot. When everyone had a new idea,' he was quoted as saying.
'My philosophy is, do something new or stay at home,' it adds.
In a statement to Deadline magazine published Monday, Eastwood said '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,' he added.
On Tuesday evening, the editorial team of the Vienna-based Kurier said its freelancer Elisabeth Sereda had compiled the interview by citing from 'a total of 18' round table conversations with Eastwood.
But since the article was published as an interview and not as a profile, the daily said it would cut ties with the author.
'Even though no quotes have been fabricated, the interviews are documented and the allegations of falsification can be refuted, we will not be working with the author in the future because transparency and our strict editorial standards are paramount to us,' Kurier said in a statement published on its website.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Express
an hour ago
- Daily Express
Trump says he told Elon Musk to exit administration, threatens funding cuts
Published on: Friday, June 06, 2025 Published on: Fri, Jun 06, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: Musk quickly responded with a post on X with 'whatever,' and rebutted Trump's suggestion that he had even seen the bill before he left the White House, calling the claim 'false.' He acknowledged, however, that some of his opposition stems from the elimination of the electric vehicle tax credit. - AFP pic WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said he asked Elon Musk to leave his role in the Trump administration, and appeared to threaten billions of dollars in government funding as the row between the once close allies continued to widen Thursday, Anadolu Ajansi reported. 'Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' Trump wrote in a social media post. Advertisement Trump appeared to threaten government subsidies for the multiple companies Musk runs, saying, 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.' 'I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' he said in a second post. The comments are the latest salvo as the US president and the world's richest man continue to deepen their intensifying feud. Musk said earlier in the day that Trump would have lost the 2024 US election without his support, and suggested that it may be time for the country to establish a new political party. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,' Musk wrote on X. 'Such ingratitude.' Musk posted a poll asking his more than 220 million followers if it is time to form a new political party in the US. While the poll has 23 hours to conclude, over 83 per cent of respondents said it is time. The comments, and the apparent testing of the political waters, mark the latest escalation in the growing feud between the once-close political allies after Musk left the White House where he led Trump's government-slashing effort. Trump said Thursday that he is 'very disappointed' with Musk amid the tech billionaire's campaign against the president's signature spending and tax bill. The president suggested that Musk's criticism of the 'big, beautiful bill' may be rooted in jealousy. 'I think he misses the place. I think he got out there and all of a sudden he wasn't in this beautiful Oval Office,' he said. 'I'm very disappointed, because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here, better than you people. He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden, he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out that we're going to have to cut the EV mandate,' Trump said in the Oval Office as he hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The 'EV mandate' refers to a long-standing one-time tax credit of up to $7,500 for those who purchase electric vehicles. Shares of Tesla were sharply lower in late-day trading, with the auto manufacturer down 11.6 per cent amid the intensifying row. Musk quickly responded with a post on X with 'whatever,' and rebutted Trump's suggestion that he had even seen the bill before he left the White House, calling the claim 'false.' He acknowledged, however, that some of his opposition stems from the elimination of the electric vehicle tax credit. 'This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!' he wrote. Musk ramped up his crusade Wednesday to convince lawmakers to kill Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' which is estimated to add $2.42 trillion to US budget deficits over the next decade. 'Bankrupting America is NOT ok!' Musk posted Wednesday on X. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Trump says he told Elon Musk to exit administration, threatens funding cuts
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said he asked Elon Musk to leave his role in the Trump administration, and appeared to threaten billions of dollars in government funding as the row between the once close allies continued to widen Thursday, Anadolu Ajansi reported. "Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" Trump wrote in a social media post. Trump appeared to threaten government subsidies for the multiple companies Musk runs, saying, "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts." "I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!" he said in a second post. The comments are the latest salvo as the US president and the world's richest man continue to deepen their intensifying feud. Musk said earlier in the day that Trump would have lost the 2024 US election without his support, and suggested that it may be time for the country to establish a new political party. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk wrote on X. "Such ingratitude." Musk posted a poll asking his more than 220 million followers if it is time to form a new political party in the US. While the poll has 23 hours to conclude, over 83 per cent of respondents said it is time. The comments, and the apparent testing of the political waters, mark the latest escalation in the growing feud between the once-close political allies after Musk left the White House where he led Trump's government-slashing effort. Trump said Thursday that he is "very disappointed" with Musk amid the tech billionaire's campaign against the president's signature spending and tax bill. The president suggested that Musk's criticism of the "big, beautiful bill" may be rooted in jealousy. "I think he misses the place. I think he got out there and all of a sudden he wasn't in this beautiful Oval Office," he said. "I'm very disappointed, because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here, better than you people. He knew everything about it. He had no problem with it. All of a sudden, he had a problem, and he only developed the problem when he found out that we're going to have to cut the EV mandate," Trump said in the Oval Office as he hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The "EV mandate" refers to a long-standing one-time tax credit of up to $7,500 for those who purchase electric vehicles. Shares of Tesla were sharply lower in late-day trading, with the auto manufacturer down 11.6 per cent amid the intensifying row. Musk quickly responded with a post on X with "whatever," and rebutted Trump's suggestion that he had even seen the bill before he left the White House, calling the claim "false." He acknowledged, however, that some of his opposition stems from the elimination of the electric vehicle tax credit. "This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!" he wrote. Musk ramped up his crusade Wednesday to convince lawmakers to kill Trump's "big, beautiful bill," which is estimated to add $2.42 trillion to US budget deficits over the next decade. "Bankrupting America is NOT ok!" Musk posted Wednesday on X.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Trump says call with Xi produced ‘very positive conclusion'
US President Donald Trump meets China's President Xi Jinping at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan in June 2019. -- PHOTO: REUTERS BEIJING (AFP/Bloomberg): US President Donald Trump said he held a 'very good' phone call on trade with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on June 5, adding that the two of them invited each other to visit their respective countries. 'The call lasted approximately 1½ hours, and resulted in a very positive conclusion for both countries,' Trump said on Truth Social, adding that US and Chinese trade teams would hold a new meeting 'shortly'. 'President Xi graciously invited the First Lady and me to visit China, and I reciprocated. As presidents of two great nations, this is something that we both look forward to doing,' he added. 'The conversation was focused almost entirely on trade. Nothing was discussed concerning Russia-Ukraine, or Iran.' The call follows officials in Beijing and Washington accusing each other of jeopardising a trade war truce agreed in May in Geneva. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the call was initiated at Mr Trump's request. 'I like President Xi of China, always have, and always will, but he is very tough, and extremely hard to make a deal with!!!' Trump posted on June 4 on his Truth Social platform. Trump, who has roiled markets in recent months with successive rounds of tariffs, said on May 30 that China has 'totally violated' the bilateral de-escalation deal. China's Commerce Ministry hit back this week, saying the Trump administration had since introduced 'discriminatory restrictive measures', including revoking Chinese student visas in the US. With the fresh conflict threatening the fragile detente, market analysts were hopeful the conversation would pave the way to a trade off-ramp. US stocks rose on news of the call, with the S&P 500 extending gains into a fourth straight day. But the numbers later dipped on weaker-than-expected jobs data The phone call between the leaders marks their first known formal contact since Mr Trump took office. The last conversation between the two took place in January before Mr Trump's inauguration. Rare earths have emerged in recent days as a key flashpoint. The US has accused China of reneging on a promise to relax export controls on such metals needed for cutting-edge electronics. Beijing, in turn, has been frustrated by fresh US restrictions on the sale of chip design software and plans to start revoking visas for Chinese students. Trump has long said direct talks with Xi were the only way to resolve differences between the nations. But the Chinese leader had thus far been reluctant to get on the phone with his American counterpart, preferring that advisers negotiate key issues. Export controls, as well as US actions on Chinese student visas and technology curbs, will likely be central to future negotiations. US and Chinese trade chiefs only agreed in Geneva in May to lower tariffs for 90 days, as they worked towards a broader deal. History suggests that any final deal could be a long time coming. In 2018 during Mr Trump's first term as president, the two sides agreed to put their dispute 'on hold' after a round of negotiations, but the US soon backed away from that deal, leading to more than 18 months of further tariffs and talks before the signing of the 'Phase One' deal in January 2020. One goal for China this time around will be seeking relief from US export controls on cutting-edge chips vital for artificial intelligence and military advancement. That is likely to be a sticking point in Washington, with both Democrats and Republicans in rare agreement that Beijing poses a national security threat. Beyond strains in economic ties, geopolitical frictions are also growing. China's Foreign Ministry officials have protested against US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's assertion at a gathering of military chiefs in Singapore that China poses an imminent threat to Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by Beijing. -- BLOOMBERG, AFP
