Chris Messina and Clint Eastwood.Photo:Steve Granitz/WireImage;Todd Williamson/Peacock
Steve Granitz/WireImage;Todd Williamson/Peacock
Chris Messinawill cherish his time spent working withClint Eastwood.
PEOPLE recently caught up with Messina, 49, to talk about his time collaborating withBen AffleckandMatt DamononAirand his role in 93-year-old Eastwood’s upcoming filmJuror No. 2.
“You think you’re going to get some tough guy and he is completely gentle and calm and fun and cracking jokes, and a lot of the crew members — [for example], the craft services woman has been with him for 22 years,” Messina shares of his time on Eastwood’s film set.
Eastwood has maintained a consistent work ethic as a director even into his 90s. The Oscar winner has released seven movies as director since 2014. His latest film was delayed for several months when this year’sSAG-AFTRA strikeshut down major Hollywood productions from July 14 through November 8.
Chris Messina on Feb. 3, 2020.Jemal Countess/FilmMagic
“He was awesome. I really loved him. 93 years old and completely with it, great notes, up on his feet behind the camera — just a badass,” Messina says of Eastwood. “It was super inspiring. And to go from something likeAirwith Ben and that incredible crew — I get to look intoViola Davis' eyes and Matt Damon’s eyes andJason Bateman, and then I go to Clint Eastwood’s [set] and look into Toni Collette’s eyes and J.K. Simmons and Nicholas Hoult.”
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Messina, who has been acting since the late 1990s, has collected an impressive series of roles in recent years. On top ofAir, he starred in this year’sStephen KingadaptationThe Boogeymanand appeared alongsideCasey AffleckinDreamin' WildandKaley Cuocoin the Peacock seriesBased on a True Story.
Clint Eastwood on Jan. 3, 2020.Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
Messina will next appear on the big screen alongsideAriana DeBoseinI.S.S., a space thriller centered around astronauts on board the International Space Station when a nuclear war breaks out between the United States and Russia.
“I feel very lucky,” he tells PEOPLE. “I’ve had a very beautiful run and I know how many talented actors there are out there that struggle, just struggle to find work, struggle to find an agent, struggle to be seen or heard, so I feel very grateful that for whatever reason I’ve been allowed to work in this business.”
source: people.com
