At age 94, Clint Eastwood is about to release the 40th movie he’s directed in his seven-decade Hollywood career. The courtroom thriller, “Juror #2,” is due in theaters Nov. 1.
But the seemingly indomitable actor/director/screen legend is “having a hard time,” after suffering two significant blows in his personal life, a source close to the Oscar winner has told the Daily Mail.
First, Eastwood’s girlfriend, Christina Sandera, died in July at age 61. Then, his beloved 31-year-old daughter, Francesca Eastwood, was arrested last weekend on suspicion of felony domestic violence.
“Clint is having a hard time dealing with all the recent lows in his life,” the source said about the Bay Area native and long-time resident of Carmel-by-the-Sea.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 19: Francesca Eastwood attends the “Old” New York Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on July 19, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
“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.”
Last weekend’s 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.
PARIS – FEBRUARY 25: Actor and Director Clint Eastwood poses with his daughters Francesca (L), Morgan (C) and wife Dina (R) after he received a “Palme d’or” award for his lifetime achievement during a ceremony organized by the Cannes film festival at the Fouquet’s restaurant on February 25, 2009 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Complicating matters is the fact that Francesca Eastwood has a major supporting role in “Juror #2,” which could become an issue during promotional efforts for the film. Eastwood might have to avoid answering reporters’ questions about his daughter if he attends the Oct. 27 premiere or joins stars Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette in interviews. It’s likely that studio executives at Warner Bros would prefer that Francesca Eastwood stay away from the press tour or the movie’s premiere at the AFI Fest.
Francesca Eastwood was arrested Saturday, 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.
In its initial report, TMZ didn’t identify the boyfriend, but Francesca Eastwood’s Instagram account has shared images and comments from a personal trainer and actor named Alexander Wraith, with whom she had a baby son in 2018, according to People magazine. The Daily Mail said that Wraith was the alleged victim in the incident.
Francesca Eastwood is one 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.
Per family tradition, Francesca Eastwood also has been cast in roles in her father’s film projects. As a child, she had a role in his 1999 film, “True Crime.” She also was Miss Golden Globe in 2013, after she appeared in the 2012 reality TV series, “Mrs. Eastwood and Company,” led by her former stepmother Dina Eastwood and her half-sister Morgan Eastwood.
Nominee for Best Picture “American Sniper,” Clint Eastwood (L) and Christina Sandera pose on the red carpet for the 87th Oscars on February 22, 2015 in Hollywood, California. AFP PHOTO / MARK RALSTON (Photo by MARK RALSTON / AFP) (Photo by MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
But now, Francesca Eastwood has become embroiled in the sort of “drama” that her father would prefer not to deal with at his age, the source said. “When cops get involved it is big drama,” the source said. Francesca’s crisis is especially upsetting for Eastwood because the two are “close” and “speak fairly often.”
Meanwhile, Eastwood is still 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.”
Eastwood kept his relationship with Sandera relatively private after being involved in several high-profile romances over the decades, including with Francesca’s mother, People said.
Eastwood and Sandera reportedly met when she was working as a hostess at Eastwood’s property, the Mission Ranch Hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea. The two made their red carpet debut at the 2015 Academy Awards, when Eastwood’s film, “American Sniper” was nominated for six Oscars, including best picture.
