12°c Light rain showers
8°c Light rain
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Eastwood flying by seat of pants with chair stunt
Clint Eastwood talks to chair at Republican convention. (TONI L. SANDYS / WASHINGTON POST)
Related Items
LOS ANGELES -- Clint Eastwood said the idea to use an empty seat as a prop at the Republican National Convention was a spur-of-the-moment decision when someone backstage asked him if he wanted to sit down.
In his first interview since he attended the convention to pledge his support for Mitt Romney, Eastwood told the Carmel Pine Cone, a California weekly newspaper, that his speech unscripted and pretty much spontaneous.
"There was a stool there, and some fella kept asking me if I wanted to sit down," Eastwood told the newspaper, which published the article Friday. "When I saw the stool sitting there, it gave me the idea. I'll just put the stool out there and I'll talk to Mr. Obama and ask him why he didn't keep all of the promises he made to everybody."
Eastwood's peculiar, rambling conversation with an imaginary U.S. President Barack Obama in an empty chair set social media ablaze. His appearance was intended to be a ringing endorsement for Romney, but the 82-year-old actor and director opened himself up to ridicule.
Eastwood said he achieved what he set out to do and got across three points. "That not everybody in Hollywood is on the left, that Obama has broken a lot of the promises he made when he took office, and that the people should feel free to get rid of any politician who's not doing a good job," Eastwood said. "But I didn't make up my mind exactly what I was going to say until I said it."
Eastwood said he was told to speak for five minutes but there weren't any signals or cues telling him to wrap up.
-- The Associated Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 8, 2012 A26
More World
- Back to Top
- Return to World
More World
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
Seen and heard at the Cannes Film Festival: James Caan revisits the 70s, Ahna O'Reilly honoured
9:48 AM 0
Poll
Most Popular World
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Tornadoes from huge Midwest storm system level homes in Oklahoma, cut power in other states
- Small Florida city wonders who hit historic $590.5M Powerball lottery jackpot
- Umbrella-gate stirs outrage
- SKorea analyzing if 4 projectiles North Korea launched were missiles or artillery
- Gay man killed on street in New York
- Suspect in NYC bias shooting appears in court, charged with murder as a hate crime
- Canadian Press NewsAlert: Up to 60 injured in Virginia parade crash
- US zoo looking into conception mystery after birth of anteater; no male in pen
- Seen and heard at Cannes: Justin Timberlake sings a new tune
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Police vow to solve shooting that wounded 19 people during Mother's Day parade in New Orleans
- Celebrities react to Angelina Jolie's revelation of double mastectomy
- Remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, with lava fountains, ash plumes
- Jurors find Jodi Arias eligible for death penalty after murder conviction in boyfriend killing
- Boston Marathon runners who couldn't finish because of blasts can return in 2014
- Co-counsel: OJ Simpson became dependent on main defence attorney in robbery case
- Hatchet-wielding hitchhiker who intervened in California attack arrested in NJ homicide
- Amanda Berry, 1 of 3 women freed after held captive in Ohio home, arrives at sister's home
- Friendship with bomb suspect, complex chain of events leads to 3 being charged
- Police vow to solve shooting that wounded 19 people during Mother's Day parade in New Orleans
- Missing Pa. woman, last seen dropping off kids for school in 2002, surfaces in Fla.
- As Boston mourns, suspected brothers' radicalism comes into focus
- Boston Marathon bombing suspect hospitalized under heavy guard; Boston area breathes easier
- Cleveland police: Ohio captive suffered 5 miscarriages after being beaten and starved
- Jodi Arias convicted of first-degree murder, says she prefers death penalty
- Neighbours: Man in custody comforted missing girl's mom, helped search for missing US women
- Parents of Boston suspect say he travelled to Russia to visit relatives, sleep a lot
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Police vow to solve shooting that wounded 19 people during Mother's Day parade in New Orleans
- Man charged after overnight feast in closed Kentucky supermarket
- Celebrities react to Angelina Jolie's revelation of double mastectomy
- Lawyer: Saudi man travelling with pressure cooker didn't know device used in Boston bombings
- Hatchet-wielding hitchhiker who intervened in California attack arrested in NJ homicide
- Remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, with lava fountains, ash plumes
- Shady characters: Cookie Monster, Elmo accused of aggressive behaviour in Times Square
- 'Ring of fire' eclipse a delight Down Under
- 'Coronation Street' actor William Roache charged in UK over alleged rapes in 1967
- Coroner: 5-year-old boy shoots 2-year-old sister in US with rifle he got as a gift
- Hitler ate well, his food taster recalls
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- As killings for ivory grow, many Tanzanians see official hands in elephant slaughter
- Female guards, rapidly growing in numbers, at heart of U.S. prison scandal
- Man testifies it was like he'd been 'murdered' the night wife cut off penis
- Boston Marathon bombing suspect hospitalized under heavy guard; Boston area breathes easier
- Bill to alter rules of succession before Kate gives birth nears completion as Lords approve
- US tourists swim for nearly 14 hours after boat sinks near St. Lucia
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.