Clint Eastwood doesn't know if he's a legend.

"Maybe, what is it?" he asks, before making a reference to a line from director John Ford's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

But for more than 50 years, Eastwood has appeared on the screen and behind the camera. His film credits include "Dirty Harry," "Every Which Way But Loose" and the three "Man With No Name" Westerns. He owns four Oscars — two for direction of "Unforgiven" and "Million Dollar Baby" and best picture wins for those two films -- and he has been nominated for six others.

His most recent contribution to the film world is "Gran Torino." In the film, which Eastwood also directed, he stars as Walt Kowalski, a Korean War veteran who is forced by immigrant neighbours to challenge his prejudices.

Kowalski is a recognisable type, the gruff, sometimes

and everything else a litxle!«, scnously, they'd have a lot more fun.

leu great that after doing so many films in your long career, you're still looking for that edgy material Wil) you be doing a lot of acting?

Eastwood: I don’t think so. I just don't think there's going to be that many good roles, or as you say. edgy material.

Maybe not edgy material for the typical senior that's an actor, but you're a legend. Presumably people are still writing stuff for you.

Eastwood: 1 do enjoy being behind the camera. I started directing 38 years ago in order to be involved in the whole project and not just the one component of acting. And so it became interesting to me to look at the whole picture.

And so I'm enjoying it back there. And next picture I do, Morgan Freeman's going to be upfront and I’m going to be behind the camera. And that's where, I think, I belong.

You are shooting that film about Nelson Mandela in

bigoted old man who may be hiding more heart than he lets on. Even though he is not too caring at the start, "he ends up expressing love to a family he has never known before," Eastwood said.

In a recent interview with CNN, Eastwood, 78, talked about the movie, his future as an actor and what he qeppets jn terms of awards. The followingiS an edited version of that interview:

When you read the script, were you at all concerned about the nature of the language?

Clint Eastwood: No, I wasn't If you're going to learn something and progress in the movie as a character, you have to start as something else in order to learn tolerance. And your character obviously is never too old to learn that, so he has to be a certain way.

But I -- being politically incorrect — find it fascinating because I hate the so-called politically correct thing. I think that's one of the things that are damaging our generation at the present time. Everybody is taking themselves and everything so seriously. If they just relax a little more and take themselves

South Africa?

Eastwood: Yes.

You've got "Changeling," and then you’ve got "Gran Torino." Both of them are getting a lot of buzz. What's your reaction io the fact that you'll probably be getting a lot of aw«|n0biinatjons?

Eastwood: 1 don't know about that. I don't think about that I just make the pictures and where they fall is where they fall If somebody likes them, that's always nice. And if they don't like them, then too bad.

Actually, I kind of make a film for myself to sort of express myself. Or it's a story I might want to follow. I never think too much about anybody seeing it. And then when you're done with it, you go, "Oh my God. Now we got to see if anybody wants to see this thing."

So we're at that period right now, at least on "GranTorino.’

Source: CNN