"I'm sorry he is who he is. As sorry as people are going to be, it was far more devastating to me to find out who he really was," she said in her memoir.
When Sondra Locke was cast opposite Clint Eastwood in the 1976 Civil-War movie set The Outlaw Josey Wales, she had no idea her life was about to change. The two of them began to date and soon after, moved into a Bel-Air mansion together, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She went on to star in several movies alongside her beau.
Everything seemed okay until 14 years later when Locke realized that her life with Clint was a far cry from what she'd hoped it would be. By 1989, not only did their relationship turn absolutely sour and beyond repair, but it also ended in two lawsuits.
According to a report by Guardian, her relationship with Eastwood was one of the most toxic relationships given that there was an overlap between the personal and professional. Also, when Eastwood got Locke pregnant, he forced her to get an abortion because he believed the time was just not right for kids as their lifestyle was not meant for it, per Independent.
The actress opened up about the torture she had to endure in her memoir The Good, the Bad and the Very Ugly: A Hollywood Journey. She wrote, "Clint complained of the IUD – it was uncomfortable for him, he said. And he too was not in favor of birth control pills, so he suggested a special clinic at Cedars Hospital where they taught a 'natural' method of birth control."
She further revealed, "It was the same 'rhythm' system that historically has been used to determine the fertile days for those who are attempting to achieve pregnancy. Of course, it could be used for the opposite results as well. Not only was I taught their method but I was constantly monitored with regular pregnancy checks."
It was not something she preferred, but she went ahead with it anyway. "The whole process was awkward and entailed taking my temperature every morning and marking the calendar, etc. It was demanding and ultimately it had failed twice." Both times, the abortions took a toll on her mental health, but Locke was left heartbroken and in shock when she found that Eastwood not only cheated on her with Jacelyn Reeves but also was a father of two children.
Their issues got so out of hand that Eastwood changed all the locks to his mansion one day when Locke was out at work. Radar Online reported that he got all her possessions inaccessible and locked up in a storage unit including her clothes, cars, and parrot.
For 14 years, Locke put up with everything that came her way, but she decided to take matters into her own hand and filed a lawsuit against the actor.
Unfortunately, during the lawsuit, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, forcing her to end the case with a settlement of $1.5 million and a three-year contract to work with Warner Bros. Unfortunately, the deal with Warner Bros did not work out as expected, and Locke accused Eastwood of meddling with the deal. In 1995, she sued him again, claiming that he was always in the way of her making her own money.
"The suit was never about money, it was about my fighting for my professional rights," she said. She saw it as a happy ending after "five years of torture."
In her memoir, she described Eastwood, who is known for his gritty roles on screen, as a man who is cold and self-centered, childish and cowardly. Cheap. Jealous. An all-around louse. "I'm sorry he is who he is. As sorry as people are going to be, it was far more devastating to me to find out who he really was," she said. "I loved him. I entrusted myself to him."
Locke finally lost her battle to stem and breast cancer at 74, suffering a cardiac arrest at her L.A home on November 3, 2018.
References:
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/clint-the-man-with-no-shame-
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photos By (L) Amy Sussman (R) Frazer Harrison
