Clint Eastwood Denies Giving Viral Interview: “Never Happened”

Here’s a plot twist.

Clint Eastwood wants it known—he never sat down for a recent so-called interview that’s been making the rounds online.

The legendary filmmaker reached out to Deadline to shut down a story published by Austrian outlet Kurier, which claimed he criticized Hollywood’s obsession with remakes, franchises, and its creative drought.

Though Kurier’s reach is relatively modest, the piece went viral online and was picked up by major outlets.

In a statement provided to Deadline, Eastwood clarified:

“A couple of items about me have recently shown up in the news. 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.”

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate the sheer audacity here. Kurier, a mid-tier Austrian newspaper with limited international reach, somehow thought it was a good idea to fabricate an entire interview with Clint Eastwood, and expected no one to notice?

The story emerged right as Eastwood celebrated his 95th birthday—a milestone in itself. But while the fake quotes gained momentum, Eastwood now gets the last word.

When it comes to Eastwood potentially shooting a new film soon, Reuters had their own separate sources telling them it’s happening, so at least one snippet of the fake interview proved to be correct.