At the age of 94, Clint Eastwood is back with the legal drama Juror n.2which follows a juror in a high-profile murder trial who grapples with a serious moral dilemma that could influence the verdict.
Nicholas Hoult is the juror and he told it on Sunday at the film's premiere at the AFI Fest in Los Angeles The Hollywood journalist on the “dream come true” of collaborating with the iconic director after growing up on his films.
“They always say don't meet your heroes, but this is a case where it's great to meet your heroes because he's cool, calm and collected, he has an ease with life and with people and he has charm and a twinkle in his eye and always an amazing sense of humor,” Hoult said. “He cares about what he's creating, he trusts the people around him, and he trusts the audience, too.” The actor also praised “the community that he's built, a lot of the collaborators that he's worked with for many, many years.”
Toni Collette, who plays the prosecutor in the trial, reiterated that “she would have done anything for Clint, I just can't believe I got to work with him. He's a dream director. It's an incredible atmosphere to work in, and there's a lot of freedom, connection and a sense of community on set. The stellar cast also includes JK Simmons, Kiefer Sutherland, Zoey Deutch, Leslie Bibb and Chris Messina.
With Eastwood – who wasn't present at the premiere – now in his mid-90s, one assumes this film could be his last. But his cast is keeping a more open door on the matter, as Hoult said he didn't want to speculate on Eastwood's future and was “just happy to have been able to do one with him while I was working.”
Collette added: “He'll do it as long as he wants. I know it in [writers and actors] strike, I thought, “What did you do?” He says, “I'm looking for material and I can't find anything.” So he's infinitely creative, he's a true artist.”
Gabriel Basso, who plays the accused killer in the film, joked in labeling Eastwood's latest film, “I have a feeling that just because people say he's going to say, 'Fuck you guys, I'm making another one;' Even if it's five minutes long, I feel like he'll find a way to make us all understand.”
Juror n.2 opens in select theaters on Friday.