Clint Eastwood Is Still Kicking At 90—Key Aspects To His Longevity

Dec 08, 2020 by apost team

Clint Eastwood's decades-spanning career has made him something of a legend in Hollywood. Even at 90 years old, the actor still remains active in the entertainment industry, which has many wondering – how does he do it? Eastwood has a few tricks for longevity up his sleeves, so we're looking at what the actor has said of it over the years.

Clint Eastwood Jr. is best known for his iconic image set during the '70s and '80s. Earlier generations might remember him for his signature 'antihero' roles, such as his portrayal of the 'Man with No Name' in Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy in the mid-60s'. On the other hand, young fans will remember him for his more recent projects like Gran Torino and The Mule. 

No matter how or in what form Eastwood appears in his films, one thing is for sure: his energy is vivid. While his success in the entertainment industry has created a positive reputation for him, his most outstanding legacy is now his longevity. 

apost.com

A long-time Hollywood veteran, Eastwood is quizzed time and time again about his secrets to longevity. In a 2003 interview with the Associated Press, the seasoned actor had a simple piece of advice. "You got to keep ahead of the game," he said, as per CBS.

The legend also highlighted the importance of remaining active – even well into the golden years. "The cruelty of nature is you have to work out harder when you get older," he said. "It should be the other way around: Work out hard when you're a kid - you should be able to coast when you get older. But unfortunately, you have to do more to stay in the same position."

In an interview with TV host Ellen DeGeneres Eastwood admitted that when he was younger, he never thought that he would live this long. After caring for his elderly grandfather as a young child, he realized that he did not want to live long anyway. While aging might have come as a daunting, scary thing for him as a child, he now knows to have fun with it. 

"Aging can be fun if you lay back and enjoy it," he told Closer Weekly in 2015, according to the Daily Mail. "Never let the old man in," he added.

Of course, the world of Hollywood would be nothing without plenty of rumors and hoaxes that circulate in the media. Eastwood has faced his fair share of death hoaxes like plenty of other celebrities in the industry. According to the Independent, a dubious (yet very real looking) website wrote a long, detailed article announcing Eastwood's death, which made rounds on social media as fans from across the globe mourned the actor's demise. Eagle-eyed fans eventually debunked the story, but the fake news of his supposed-passing has already spread wide and far by then. 

According to Politifact, rumors of his death re-remerged in 2019 and again spread like wildfire through Facebook, from a website that had impersonated CNN news.

Rumors began to circulate that Eastwood would be retiring at 89, after a 65-year-long career in Hollywood. However, that was all bogus as the actor clarified earlier this year that as long as he can still work, he will. 

"I do want to continue to progress in life, still at my age. "I don't want to stand still or go backwards," Clintwood said, according to the Mirror. "You never know when you're going to give up. But I'm enjoying it."

Apart from acting, the icon has worked behind the camera and even won five Oscars for producing and directing. 

"I like being in films, I like making films and I started directing films because I thought, One day I'm going to look up on screen and say, 'That's enough Eastwood, you'd better do something else.' So I thought, If I direct, I can let other people be on screen," he told This Morning in January, according to Closer Weekly.

These days, Eastwood is starring in and directing his latest film, Cry Macho, based on the 1975 book of the same name. According to Deadline, filming already started this autumn, although a release date is not yet known. 

The 90-year-old will be starring as a onetime rodeo star and aged horse breeder Mike Milo, who takes up a job from a former boss to bring his son back home to Texas and get him away from his alcoholic mother. 

Do you or any of your family members have your own secrets to longevity? Let us know in the comments, and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!