LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Legendary star and filmmaker Clint Eastwood rang in his 93rd birthday on Wednesday, May 31. The Academy Award-winning star made his on-screen debut in 1955. He then went on carve a niche for himself with his dynamic on-screen performances in blockbusters including ‘The Bridges of Madison County’, 'Million Dollar Baby' and 'Magnum Force'. After proving his mettle as an acclaimed actor, Eastwood steered his career toward filmmaking.
The director's last movie was 2021’s 'Cry Macho,' which bombed critically and recouped only $16 million at the box office of the $33 million spent in production. Following the movie's release, Eastwood has been living a life away from the spotlight. The actor hasn't been seen in public in 454 days, prompting many to label him a "recluse" and fear that he has retired from the tinsel town. However, while no announcement has been made from Eastwood’s side, a source close to the star revealed that he has begun to feel that showbiz has made his decision to slow down his booming career for him.
'People do worry about his health'
"Clint goes through spells of talking about retirement, but what’s worse for him, he feels the movie industry has retired on him," an insider spilled, according to OK Magazine. The tipster further dished, "He’s had a 50-year partnership with Warner Brothers, but there are new people in charge there now and they were very disappointed Clint’s last movie 'Cry Macho' bombed at the box office. He was happy to finally get a go-ahead from Warner for his new film, but he isn’t counting on it happening again." The 'Magnum Force' star’s most recent thriller ‘Juror No 2’ is reportedly set to go into production, starring Toni Collette and Nicholas Hoult in the lead.
"He wants to do this movie as a swan song and go out in a blazing sunset. Some thought Cry Macho was going to be his last film two years ago because he seemed frail even then, but the movie wasn’t well received so Clint’s gathering up the troops one last time — and hoping for a blockbuster,” the tipster added. Eastwood’s public absence has reportedly unnerved his inner circle, which believes that his famously vigorous health is on the decline. "People do worry about his health. He’s the director but he’s also involved in every other aspect like the casting and he’ll likely compose the score as he’s done on his other films,” the source further noted.
'He moves and walks very gingerly these days'
Meanwhile, Eastwood also sparked speculation about his impending retirement after becoming reclusive over the years and hardly ever being photographed in public. "Clint has always enjoyed great health and been vital and active despite his advancing age, but the fact that he hasn’t been around as much lately has a lot of people in Hollywood worried about him," another source noted, adding, "It’s hard to imagine him in anything other than fine form but Father Time catches up to all of us."
“He moves and walks very gingerly these days. Clint still does light exercise with a personal trainer,” the tipster added. They also revealed that Eastwood is on his way to finding himself by producing some small movies in the future. "At this point, if Clint wanted to make a small movie in the future, he could just fund it himself. But a lot of it depends on how Clint’s health holds up — and at his age, the jury is out on that," the source concluded.
