Spring 2024

degree in creative writing, but grateful that she got to grow up in the relaxed and grounding atmosphere of Carmel. “I was disconnected for the most part from the Hollywood lifestyle,” she says. “A huge part of that is my mom [Dina Ruiz, a former news anchor and actress, now a writer] and the other huge part is my dad. People might not know that he’s a very normal guy at the end of the day. He’s very down to earth and doesn’t love extravagance. I was able to have normal things and go to public schools.” At a young age, Morgan appeared in Clint’s films “Million Dollar Baby” and “Changeling,” but wasn’t inspired to become an actor after the experience. “It was very exciting, and I was in a scene with Angelina Jolie, but it wasn’t something that clicked for me,” she explains. “Not everyone is meant to be an actor.” Morgan describes her father as “private,” and a “cool dad,” while at the same time she under- stands why many people view him as an icon. “He has done so many different things and has so many different talents,” she says. She attributes his longevity in the film indus- try to a true passion for storytelling. “I don’t think my father makes movies out of boredom,” she says.“He tries to choose stories he really likes and wants to tell...He pretty much has the same crew from movie to movie…he loves being with his friends and he loves working.” Kyle Eastwood Kyle Eastwood is an award-winning musician and composer, plays the bass guitar with his jazz quintet, has released multiple albums, and recently surprised his father with the project “Eastwood Symphonic.” Kyle and his quintet performed movie themes that he rearranged from his dad’s films with a 65- piece orchestra from the Czech National “I have the most wonderful memor ies of my dad raising me but those have been completely taken over by the more recent memor ies and times I get to be there while my [5-year-old] son and my dad get to know each other. That’s the most beautiful thing in the wor ld.” —Francesca Eastwood 112 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 4 An orangutan named Clyde was Eastwood’s costar in “Every Which Way But Loose,” 1978. A trucker and fighter, Eastwood’s character won his sidekick in a bet. Photo: Warner Brothers Album/Alamy Stock Photo