Clint Eastwood in the 1970s would be widely screened in France later and is considered one of Eastwood's finest works by the French. According to Eastwood and Lang, the film, aside from being poorly publicized, flopped due to Clint being "emasculated in the film". Eastwood said about his role: 1971 was a professional turning point in Eastwood's career. Before his professional financial adviser and president of Malpaso Productions Irving Leonard died, the last film they discussed was "Play Misty for Me". The goal was to give Eastwood the artistic control that he desired and make it his directorial debut. The rights to the song "Misty"
Clint Eastwood at the 2012 Republican National Convention suggested his appearance was a publicity stunt to sell tickets for his then-upcoming film "Trouble with the Curve". Film critic Roger Ebert, an Obama supporter, commented, "Clint, my hero, is coming across as sad and pathetic. He didn't need to do this to himself. It's unworthy of him," and later elaborated that while he continues to revere Eastwood as an artist, he opined that Eastwood was "handed the wrong sheet music". Bill Maher, a comedian and talk show host who has been highly critical of the Republican Party, praised Eastwood's performance and his decision to go off-script during a heavily