Clint Eastwood’s new movie “Juror No. 2” had its premiere closing night screening at the American Film Institute’s festival in Los Angeles on Sunday. However, the 94-year-old legendary director was not there himself.
AFI president Bob Gazzale addressed the audience. He said Eastwood “could not be here with us tonight.” Still, Gazzale called the event a celebration of Eastwood’s extensive career both in front of and behind the camera. This includes his iconic “Dirty Harry” character and direction of films like “Richard Jewell” and “Play Misty for Me.”
The leads in “Juror No. 2,” Toni Collette and Nicholas Hoult, attended the premiere. Collette and Hoult had previously worked together in 2002’s “About a Boy.” Collette expressed gratitude for the chance to collaborate with Eastwood. She said working with him as a director “still blows my mind…but he is a truly good, solid human being.” Hoult called getting to know Eastwood through the film “incredible.”
“Juror No. 2” marks Eastwood’s 40th time in the director’s chair. Hoult’s character is a family man and former alcoholic on a jury. His past gets confronted during the trial of a murder case. Collette plays an ambitious prosecutor with political goals. The film also features Zoey Deutch, Kiefer Sutherland, Chris Messina, Leslie Bibb, J.K. Simmons, and Adrienne C. Moore.
Warner Bros. is giving “Juror No. 2” a limited release in under 50 theaters this weekend. Reportedly, the studio will not report box office numbers or have a wider theatrical strategy so far. It is also supposed to skip streaming or video on demand until later, only on HBO Max. In a nice moment, Collette and Hoult led the premiere audience in a video message to Eastwood, shouting “We love you, Clint!” at his request.
