Thursday, August 4, 2016

How to raise a man

Clint Eastwood demonstrates that it's never too late to be successful, and that even missing a son's childhood doesn't mean a man can't be a successful father. It's inspiring to see the mutual affection and respect between father and son in this Esquire interview with Clint and Scott Eastwood:
ESQ: Do you guys get competitive with each other?

CE: I don't think I'm competitive. I'm happy to see him do well. I'm happy that he's working. He's doing better than I was at his age, and that's the way it should be.

SE: I couldn't be more proud of him. I couldn't be more inspired by the films he makes. His movies are the kinds of movies that I want to be in. I'm just a pawn in getting to work with these great directors. I'm just trying to be in more of those types of movies.

[At this point, Scott announces that he has to leave for a screening of the new Dwayne Johnson movie. He and Clint hug and say goodbye.]

CE: You always wonder if you could've done more. You could've spent a little more time with him, a little more attention. I had that regret when my dad died. Because it was sudden. I didn't know; it wasn't like he had an ailment or something. I used to live close enough to him that I could've dropped in a lot more. I never did and I was busy, always busy, doing all the films. My mom lived to be ninety-seven, so I compensated and I spent a lot of time with her after he went.
It's clear that Clint was hard on Scott. Perhaps he had to be, perhaps he didn't. But it's also clear that Scott listens very closely to everything that Clint has to say, and I very much doubt that he'll never forget his father telling a national publication that "he's doing better than I was at his age".

Read the whole thing. It's really good. From a sociosexual perspective, it's a Sigma raising a Beta who may one day become an impressive Alpha.

13 comments:

dc.sunsets said...

Our lives are defined by how we choose to spend the finite and irreplaceable hours we're allotted.

One can't be everything. Choose, or the choice will be made for you. There are no do-overs.

GB said...

Clint is a rather notorious philanderer with a whole host of bastards. A model father he is not.

Laguna Beach Fogey said...

Very cool.

Stg58/Animal Mother said...

B.J.,

You can sleep around and still spend the time necessary with your sons. The proof is in the pudding. Instead of sniffing, look at their relationship. I'm sure they yelled at each other and had some man to man disagreements, but they are very close now.

Do you want Clint to not even try?

tz said...

OT, but "plenty of fish" creates a new class https://consumerist.com/2016/08/04/woman-gets-163-bill-instead-of-romance-after-online-date-dines-dashes/

slarrow said...

ESQ: How do you stay vital? You're eighty-six but still making great work.

CE: Yeah, you're as young as you feel. As young as you want to be. There's an old saying I heard from a friend of mine. People ask him, "Why do you look so good at your age?" He'll say, "Because I never let the old man in." And there's truth to that. It's in your mind, how far you let him come in.


"Because I never let the old man in." Hell of a quote.

dc.sunsets said...

Agree with BJ. Good fathers (and good people) lead by example.

They can sugar coat the "Eastwoods" in an infinite number of self-promotional puff pieces arranged by their PR firm (or Talent Agency), it won't make a famous actor sow's ear into a silk purse dad.

I know of no famous people who didn't sacrifice their families to achieve their celebrity. In fact, even lowly district sales managers in my prior industry were compelled to toss their families under the bus. This was why they clearly hated those who chose family over career advancement.

Time. How you choose to spend it is the ultimate form of revealed preference. If your kids don't get your time, everyone with a clue knows why.

Moondog said...

Clint Eastwood has many faults and failures in his personal life, in particular his serial womanizing. At the same time, I won't take anything away from him on the fathering front: that he has had other shortcomings does not mean he was an all bad father.

It also shows that, even if he wasn't a great father, he still majored in enough majors to do a job that is worthy of respect.

Nate said...

absolutely awesome interview.

Jed Mask said...

Great deal. Great life lesson. It's GOOD that father and son are on good terms loving each other. THAT'S WHAT MATTERS. Good reminder... Amen.

Anonymous said...

From a sociosexual perspective, it's a Sigma raising a Beta who may one day become an impressive Alpha.

Is Scott in fact a Beta, or is he only a contextual Beta toward his father?

I'd expect young Alphas often have to be Beta toward older, more experienced Alphas if they want to learn what they have to do in order to be successful, but are Alphas with everyone else.

dc.sunsets said...

Actors as alpha? Actors?

How many actresses are 10/10 in terms of being "keepers?"

Methinks people have now become far too comfortable with the illusion of celebrity. There is no spoon...

Gordon Scott said...

Audrey Hepburn chose family. She was an interesting gal.

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