The journalist behind the viral, but “entirely phony” Clint Eastwood interview is speaking out.
This comes almost a week after the German-speaking Austrian newspaper Kurier published an article with headline-making quotes from the actor. Once Eastwood found out about it, he said he’d never spoken to the paper.
“A couple of items about me have recently shown up in the news,” Eastwood said in a statement obtained by Deadline. “I thought I would set the record straight. I can confirm I’ve turned 95. I can also confirm that I never gave an interview to an Austrian publication called Kurier, or any other writer in recent weeks, and that the interview is entirely phony.”
Elisabeth Sereda, a longtime member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that puts on the Golden Globes, released a statement claiming her quotes from the legendary actor are authentic. She explained the quotes were taken from older H.F.P.A. interviews with the “Dirty Harry” star, with some of them dating back to the ’70s.
“So while Mister Eastwood may not be familiar with the publication Kurier, he is certainly familiar with the H.F.P.A. — having given more than 20 interviews to the group dating back to 1976,” she wrote in a statement obtained by The New York Times.
So, Eastwood said those things but over the years. Not in a sit-down question-and-answer interview.
“Quotes from Mr. Eastwood cited in the story are culled from several of those 14 press conferences I attended and covered,” she said in a statement obtained by Variety.
One of Eastwood’s quotes about the state of Hollywood immediately spread fast.
“We live in an era of remakes and franchises,” the article said. “I’ve shot sequels three times, but I haven’t been interested in that for a long while. My philosophy is: Do something new or stay at home.”
However, it’s unclear when he said that.
Sereda said she was assigned to write up a compilation story honoring the director for his 95th birthday, which was on May 31. However, it didn’t come across that way.
In the meantime, Kurier has also released a statement clarifying what happened, saying that Sereda told them she had spoken to Eastwood numerous times and “foreign journalists receive transcripts of these conversations, which are free to use,” the outlet said in a translated statement.
“According to Sereda, she wrote the current article based on these conversations. This means that all of Eastwood’s statements were made exactly as they were, and this is documented. Using multiple interviews for a birthday portrait is common practice,” the statement continued.
Kurier did note that Sereda crafted the story like an interview and “not a portrait,” which created “the impression that it was a new interview.” The newspaper said this went against their standards and they have cut ties with the writer.
“Even though no quote is fabricated, the interviews are documented, and the allegation of falsification can be refuted, we will no longer work with the author in the future because transparency and our strict editorial standards are paramount to us.”
KTLA 5 has reached out to Eastwood regarding this development and is awaiting a response.
