Who doesn’t adore Clint Eastwood? With a career spanning over six decades, the actor, 94, has galloped into our hearts and screens, even earning multiple Oscars. Oh, and let’s not forget he even took a spin as the Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, in the late ‘80s—just another feather in his cap.
But let’s not sugarcoat it: His outspoken nature and unfiltered opinions have often made headlines. No surprise, then, that this Hollywood heavyweight has collected a fair share of high-profile enemies along the way. Want proof? Eddie Murphy once shared a story about Marlon Brando, who didn’t just tiptoe around his feelings but outright tossed Eastwood under the bus.
Why Did Marlon Brando Dislike Clint Eastwood? Eddie Murphy Explained
Eddie Murphy revealed on The New York Times’ The Interview podcast that Marlon Brando, in a rather candid moment, dismissed acting as “bulls*it” when the former was still cutting his teeth in Hollywood. At the time, Murphy was riding high from his debut in 48 Hrs., and Brando’s blunt assessment must have felt like a bucket of cold water on a hot day.
During the interview, the Beverly Hills Cop star reminisced:
He [Brando] came and picked me up at the hotel. But there was a time mix-up, and I came down like a half-hour late — he was waiting for me in the car. We went to his house on Mulholland; I was just going on and on about ‘The Godfather,’ and he was like,‘Eh, ‘The Godfather’. Not just ‘The Godfather’ — acting. He was like, ‘Acting is bulls*it, and everybody can act.’
Murphy shared a hilarious anecdote about visiting Brando’s home shortly after his debut in 48 Hrs. It was this moment when the latter, never one to mince words, confessed he wasn’t exactly a fan of Clint Eastwood. Murphy chuckled:
This is how long ago it was: He was going, ‘I can’t stand that kid with the gun’. I was like, ‘What kid with the gun?’ He said, ‘He’s [Eastwood] on the poster!’
Reflecting on the time he spent with the legendary Brando, Murphy marveled at the surreal experience of dining with one of his idols.
After ’48 Hrs.’ Marlon Brando calls my agent and wants to meet me. Now I look back and go, ‘Wow, that’s crazy: The greatest actor of all time wants to have dinner with you!
The Godfather star passed away on July 1, 2004, leaving behind a legacy as complex and compelling as his performances. As for Eastwood, his career continues to blaze trails, proving that, even legends in the movie business aren’t immune to a bit of drama (& dissent).
This Actress Blamed Clint Eastwood: What Really Happened?
Sondra Locke started her Hollywood journey with a bang, earning an Oscar nomination for her role in 1968’s The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.
With a brilliant future ahead, the late actress seemed poised to take Tinseltown by storm. But then came Clint Eastwood, and as the Irish Times aptly put it, their “toxic relationship” would cast a long shadow over her career.
Locke and Eastwood first crossed paths on the set of 1976’s The Outlaw Josey Wales (via Independent). Sparks flew, and the two became inseparable—well, almost.
But in 1997, as Locke candidly told The Washington Post:
If you were in Clint Eastwood movies, you were in the Clint Eastwood movie business. You weren’t in the movie business … People stopped calling.
The Sudden Impact actress ruefully added:
He didn’t make me famous. It was never my fame — it was his fame.
Locke, moreover, said that her biggest regret was not cutting ties with Eastwood sooner. She felt that if she had recognized the signs and ended things five or six years earlier, she could have moved on and focused on her own career and happiness. To quote the actress:
My biggest misfortune, my greatest regret, is that I wish I’d cut my time with Clint in half. I wouldn’t say I wish I never had the relationship, but I wish I’d found a way, I’d understood who he was, where it would end, five or six years earlier so I could have gotten on with things.
In other words, she lamented that she stayed in a relationship that was ultimately a dead end for too long, missing the chance to get a fresh start sooner.
The Godfather is currently streaming on Paramount+.
