President Nicolas Sarkozy has awarded US actor and director Clint Eastwood one of France's top honours, hailing him as a cinema legend and a symbol of the type of America that the French adore.
It is unusual for a foreigner to be elevated to the rank of commander of the French Legion of Honour but Eastwood, who went from playing tough-guy roles such as Dirty Harry to directing films, said he saw France as his second home.
"My wife chastised me saying if that was true why don't I speak French," he told those gathered at the Elysee Palace for the ceremony.
He jokingly referred to Sarkozy as "my president" after receiving the red-ribboned medal. Eastwood, 79, had been making a thriller in France, Hereafter.
Sarkozy said French admiration for US cinema helped transcend any problems the countries might have had - a veiled reference to France's fierce opposition to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
He called Eastwood, whose line "Go ahead, make my day" became a global catchphrase, "a myth, a giant, an example of the admiration we have for American culture". He added that problems between the countries had arisen "when America was not as big as we would have liked ".
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
