US Republicans may have made Mitt Romney’s day with the presidential nomination he long sought, but it was Dirty Harry himself who nearly hijacked the show with a rambling diatribe against President Barack Obama — addressed to an empty chair.
Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood brought his star power and trademark gravelly voice to the stage of the Tampa convention hall on Thursday, jetting in as a surprise last-minute speaker to warm up the crowd for Mr Romney’s acceptance speech.
Eastwood’s cameo appearance, including an ad-libbed monologue with an imaginary Obama in an empty chair, seemed to thrill many in the audience, but was widely panned by observers across the political spectrum.
“Clint, my hero, is coming across as sad and pathetic,” legendary Chicago film critic Roger Ebert said in a Twitter posting. “He didn’t need to do this to himself.”
Former Romney adviser Mike Murphy tweeted: “Note to file: Actors need a script.”
The 82-year-old Oscar-winning director and actor, who endorsed Mr Romney earlier this month, strode to the podium serenaded by the theme music from his classic western The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Eastwood delivered an off-the-cuff, deadpan discourse, at times biting in its criticism of Mr Obama, at times supportive of Mr Romney’s candidacy.
But more often he was nearly incoherent, meandering from one topic to another.