Rama’s SCREEN

I read somewhere some time ago that Clint Eastwood who is now 78 years old at one point said that he was done with acting, kaput, that’s it, right after he starred in the Oscar winning Million Dollar Baby in 2004. He said he’s going to stay behind the camera from then on. But he also stated that he’d go back to acting again if he really, really liked the role, especially in his upcoming movie GRAN TORINO which the world knew little about until recently when he said to the press, via USA TODAY, what his character going to be about…

“I’m a weirdo in it. I play a real racist. … It’s a great time in life (to do that) because, you know, what can they do to you once you’re past 70? There’s nothing they can do. But it also has redemption. This Hmong family moves in next door, and he has been in the Korean War, in the infantry, and looks down on Asian people and lumps everybody together. But finally they befriend him in his time of need because he has no relationship with his family.”

I’ve actually known this fact for quite some time now,… believe it or not, months ago before the production began, I actually contacted the casting director to know if I could audition for any of the Asian characters but apparently they were strictly just looking for true Hmong actors. Well, it was wroth to ask, I guess.
Frankly, I don’t know what the big deal is, yes I’m not Hmong but I’m Asian. And there are Foreigners out there running around playing American cowboys (3:10 To Yuma). It’s acting, right?
The plan is for WB to release GRAN TORINO limited on Christmas Day, so that it would count for Oscar consideration… just like how Clint Eastwood snuck in LETTERS OF IWO JIMA at the end of 2006 which became a Nominee for Best Picture.