To most of the world, Clint Eastwood is one of the most iconic actors alive. He’s the mysterious “Man with No Name,” he’s the detective with a flair for violence, “Dirty” Harry Callahan, some even know him as the mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California (a role he held in real life, not on the silver screen). To his 8 children, however, he’s simply known as dad.
In an interview with Closer Weekly, one of the legendary actor’s eldest children, Alison Eastwood, described what it was like to grow up with the “icon of masculinity” as her father. “He’s just my dad,” she explained. “He yelled at me when I was bad and did horrible things, which I did from time to time. And he was really sweet and supportive when I was doing great things.”
Though Eastwood leans heavily on no-nonsense tough-guy roles in Hollywood, Alison knows a different version of him entirely. “He’s way laid-back,” she revealed. “Probably too laid-back. Don’t tell him, though!”
Clint Eastwood’s Daughter Shares the Advice He Gave for a Career in Hollywood
Like many father-child relationships, Alison is her father’s biggest fan. So much so, in fact, that when it came time to choose a career path, she set her sights on Hollywood. Alison made her film debut at the young age of 7 when she was given an uncredited role in the 1980 Clint Eastwood Western Bronco Billy.
For Clint Eastwood, it didn’t matter what his children did in their careers, as long as they gave it their all. “I just said, whatever you do, do it well,” the Dirty Harry star told the LA Times. “If you’re going to be a phone operator, be the best phone operator.”
Alison now has more than 40 years of experience both in front of and behind the camera. Now an actress and a director, Alison shared the advice her father gave her ahead of her directorial debut. “He has a dry sense of humor,” she said. “So his biggest piece of advice for me as a director was, ‘Make sure you get a lot of sleep, because you’re going to need it.’”
After dispensing some classic dad-style humor, Clint Eastwood shared his actual advice. “Believe in what you’re doing, as opposed to changing your mind or being wishy-washy,” he told his daughter.
The Western icon and his daughter are now 92 and 50, respectively, but remain close to this day. “We’re good friends,” Alison Eastwood said. “We laugh a lot. Now we can talk about directing, acting, the business, and we both love animals. We have a lot to share. And we still do Thanksgiving together!”
