Clint Eastwood on Why He Still Works in His 90s: ‘I Never Think About It’

At 91, Clint Eastwood isn’t deterred by his age when it comes to making movies.

The actor and director, whose latest film Cry Macho debuts in theaters and on HBO Max on Sept. 17, is opening up about why he’s still hard at work in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times.

“I never think about it,” Eastwood said when asked if there was anything different from making a movie now compared to when he first started working. “If I’m not the same guy, I don’t want to know anything about it. I might not like the new guy. I might think, ‘What am I doing with this idiot?’ “

Eastwood revealed he first started directing with 1971’s Play Misty for Me because “the whole point of directing was something you can do as an older guy.”

Now, the filmmaker said he continues to work because “I just like it.”

“I have nothing against other directors, but I might have a whole different take on things and I don’t want to be thinking, ‘Why did I give it to him?’ ” he said.

When it comes to acting, Eastwood admitted to being more conflicted, at times wondering to himself, “What the hell am I still working for in my 90s? Are people going to start throwing tomatoes at you?”

“I’ve gotten to the point where I wondered if that was enough, but not to the point where I decided it was,” he said. “If you roll out a few turkeys, they’ll tell you soon enough.”