Eastwood plays Hardball

Fresh off the Oscar success of “Million Dollar Baby,” Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood went toe-to-toe with Chris Matthews on March 15, 2005. Below is a partial transcript of the interview:

On the controversy surrounding "Million Dollar Baby":
CLINT EASTWOOD, DIRECTOR: For some reason— it used to always be the knee-jerk liberal.  Now it's the knee-jerk conservative.  You get somebody who decided he's saying a message--

MATTHEWS: Is this high-paying piety that's going on here?

EASTWOOD: Yeah, I think so.  I don't think anybody has the answer, everybody wants to politicize everything.  I don't politicize things.. I wasn't making a statement in any picture that's the final end-all, it's just a way of going.

*  *  *
MATTHEWS: Is there a resentment in Hollywood against guys who move to the conservative side of things politically?

EASTWOOD: Well, let's face it, they are the minority, and if you like being part of a minority group then you should be a conservative in Hollywood.  That works well.

MATTHEWS: People accept your sort of libertarianism, don't they?

EASTWOOD:  I think so, I've just never been on the left side.  Most self-made people aren't.  But then sometimes people are— you get people who are idealistic, everybody's idealistic when you're a kid.

*  *  *
MATTHEWS: What do you think of Arnold?

EASTWOOD: I think he's doing good, I think he's doing very well.  He has an advantage over most politicians, he doesn't need the job—

MATTHEWS: Because he's rich?

EASTWOOD: Yeah, and he's got a career, he can always go back to doing films.  So he's trying different things, he's trying to shake it up, and god knows we needed it.

MORE FROM HARDBALL

Hardball Section Front

Does Lieberman have a hidden agenda? Obama gives himself a ‘B +’ Stepping up financial reform Democrats want punishment for Lieberman Other famous people have affairs too! Lieberman blocks reform Obama losing support in odd place Climate change reality check Baucus raise for girlfriend raises eyebrows Mrs. Sanford files for divorce Hardball Section Front   Add Hardball headlines to your news reader: