Clint Eastwood “couldn’t make it” to the Sunday night world premiere of “Juror #2,” the 40th film he’s directed in his seven-decade career, though the film’s cast and the premiere’s organizers paid tribute to him, saying, “We love you Clint!”
While the 94-year-old screen legend skipped the premiere at the historic TCL Chinese Theaters in Hollywood, for reasons not specified, his daughter, Francesca Eastwood, walked the red carpet, according to Variety and the Daily Mail. She has a role in her father’s legal thriller, though her recent arrest on domestic violence charges made her a somewhat complicated person to represent the Eastwood family or to appear with the rest of the cast.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 27: Francesca Eastwood attends the closing night gala premiere of “Juror #2” during the 2024 AFI Fest at TCL Chinese Theatre on October 27, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
There’s also controversy related to the minimal fanfare Warner Bros. is giving to the release of “Juror #2,” which could be Eastwood’s final film, given his age, Variety also has reported. The film will screen in fewer than 50 theaters nationwide this weekend, with no current plans to expand to more locations and no dates announced for when it might be released on a streaming service.
The “less than distinguished treatment” Warner Bros. is giving “Juror #2” is even more puzzling, given that Eastwood’s films also typically deliver at the box office, whether he’s starring in them or directing them. Moreover, “Juror #2” has thus far received positive reviews from critics who attended the premiere at AFI Fest. Deadline’s Pete Hammond said that, at 94, the Oscar-winning filmmaker “still has it” in delivering a classic courtroom story that is “a riveting suspenseful thriller,” “one of the most most compelling human dramas of his career” and one of the best movies of 2024.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 27: (L-R) Cedric Yarbrough, Zoey Deutch, Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Leslie Bibb, Gabriel Basso and Francesca Eastwood attend the closing night gala premiere of “Juror #2” during the 2024 AFI Fest at TCL Chinese Theatre on October 27, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
“Juror #2” stars Nicholas Hoult as a family man grappling with recent sobriety, according to Variety. “A nuisance jury duty assignment brings him face-to-face with a horrible incident from his past, one that forces moral and criminal dilemmas throughout a contentious murder trial,” as Variety reported. The film also stars Toni Colette as a prosecutor, with Kiefer Sutherland, J.K. Simmons and Francesca Eastwood rounding out the cast.
At the premiere, AFI president Bob Gazzale informed disappointed fans that Eastwood “could not be here with us tonight, but we are here for him.” Collette and Hoult then paid tribute to Eastwood, with Collette saying that he “is a truly good, solid human being. Getting to know him has been incredible.”
Hoult shared his nervousness about auditioning for Eastwood, and he and Collette recorded a video message for the director. Collette and Hoult also got the audience to shout, “We love you, Clint!”
Last week, the Daily Mail reported that the seemingly indomitable actor/director is “struggling” and “having a hard time,” after suffering two significant blows in his personal life.
First, Eastwood’s girlfriend, Christina Sandera, died in July at age 61. Then, Francesca Eastwood, his beloved 31-year-old daughter, was arrested Oct. 12 on suspicion of felony domestic violence.
“Clint is having a hard time dealing with all the recent lows in his life,” a source told the Daily Mail about the Bay Area native and long-time resident of Carmel-by-the-Sea.
“Francesca’s arrest could not have come at a worse time in his life because he is feeling pretty sad about losing his girlfriend three months ago,” the source added. “To say he is feeling down is a gross understatement.”
The arrest of Francesca Eastwood, an actor, model and socialite, has made the father of eight feel “that things are out of control in a way that they were not before,” especially because being a good father is “extremely important” to him, the source continued. While Eastwood wants to “be there for his daughter as she sorts through this mess,” he also needs to take care of himself, the source added.
Francesca Eastwood was arrested Oct. 12 by the Beverly Hills police after a verbal argument with her boyfriend turned physical, TMZ reported. The gossip site said that she and her boyfriend were driving around in Beverly Hills when they began arguing. Once things got physical, the boyfriend called the police, who advised that he drive them to the Beverly Hills Police Department to meet with officers.
When Francesca Eastwood and her boyfriend showed up, they each spoke to police, who saw physical injuries on the boyfriend, TMZ reported. She was booked on suspicion of felony domestic violence and was released from custody on $50,000 bail. The alleged victim has been identified in reports as actor and personal trainer Alexander Wraith, with whom Francesca Eastwood had a baby son in 2018, according to People magazine.
Francesca Eastwood is one of Eastwood’s eight children. She also is the daughter of actor Frances Fisher, whom the actor/director dated from the early to mid-1990s. Fisher had a role in Eastwood’s 1992 Western film, “Unforgiven,” which won best picture and best director.
Francesca Eastwood’s crisis is especially upsetting for Eastwood because the two are “close” and “speak fairly often.” Meanwhile, Eastwood was said to still be in mourning for Sandera, his girlfriend of 10 years, who died July 18 of a heart attack, as People reported. In a statement released after her death, Eastwood wrote: “Christina was a lovely, caring woman, and I will miss her very much.”