Clint Eastwood’s entire career was built on playing different tough guys in movies. The majority of people might not be aware that the actor is just as difficult in real life as the characters he has played throughout the years.
Now that Eastwood’s kids are making their own way into the spotlight, they have some fascinating tales to share.
Clint Eastwood is well recognized for playing tough coaches and cowboys in a variety of movies. Apparently, he was exactly as tough in real life! The actor is the father of eight children by different women, which required him to divide his attention, but he nevertheless made care to be actively involved in each of his children’s lives.
All of his children are now adults and gaining notoriety on their own. His son Scott Eastwood in particular has started his own acting career, which means that prominent magazines are interviewing him about his life.
And now, as seen through the eyes of his kids, we get to learn more about Clint Eastwood’s parenting style.
His son Scott Eastwood recalls a specific experience that affected him deeply and stayed with him for the rest of his life. He shared a lot of information about his connection with his father in an interview with GQ Magazine. The actor remembered a specific incident from when he was 16 years old.
During his retelling of the event, he said, “I had taken my younger sister, who was, like, 14, to this party. I left, maybe to go get beer with the guys. And I left her and I didn’t think about it at the time. Later, Dad found out that I’d left her there.”
In the interview, Clint Eastwood is quoted as saying that he shoved his adolescent son against a wall, grabbed him by the throat, and then proceeded to strike him in the face.
The young actor recollects that his dad popped him and stated: “‘You don’t ever leave your sister at a party. EVER.’ And it was very old-school, very old-school of him.”
In addition to giving his children corporal punishment, Eastwood also educated them in a variety of other lessions, all of which were very beneficial to their development as people. Scott reflects on the fact that his father did not give any of his children a “handout” and instead inspired them to put in a lot of effort.
Scott shared, “My father’s definitely old-school. And he raised me with integrity—to be places on time, show up, and work hard.”
However, Scott made it clear that his dad was not the only person that instilled morals and values in his children, as the actor explained, “And I don’t want to give him all the credit. Because Mom had a huge part in raising me too, and making me a better man, but he definitely was the hammer.”
On the other hand, it stands to reason that his memories of his upbringing with his father do not solely center on the subject of discipline. He recalled a joyful experience from his past, “Poking around the film set on Space Cowboys; taking long helicopter rides up the Californian coast, Clint in the pilot’s seat. Every now and then, he’d let his pre-adolescent son handle one of the dual controls. Sometimes, Scott would get dizzy and they’d set the chopper down in a patch of Redwoods and eat turkey sandwiches.”
It was interesting to see how his connection with his father changed as he got older. He recounts how things have developed over the years, saying, “As a younger kid, there was kind of an aura of greatness.”
He said the current relationship that the two of them, “Like, he’s my hero. Now, I think every opportunity is an opportunity to hear another good story. The guy’s like a vault of stories.”
He adds that he is attempting to coax his father into telling him as many amazing stories as possible, and he says, “I try to pry as many stories as I can out of him.”
Even though a lot of people might think that Scott Eastwood was born with a silver spoon, he was never given handouts in the way that one would believe they would have been provided to him. Clint Eastwood made it a point to instill a work ethic in each of his children from an early age.