Francesca Eastwood might be the lead in the thriller Clawfoot, but it is her costar Olivia Culpo that steals the show in her mind.
“If there were a hero in the story, it would really be her,” Eastwood, 30, exclusively told Us Weekly of Culpo, 32. “She really blew me away. She did a great job.”
Clawfoot follows a housewife named Janet (Eastwood), who is psychologically terrorized by contractor Leo (Milo Gibson) after her husband mysteriously disappears. As Janet faces off against Leo for survival, she turns to pal Tasha (Culpo), who becomes her partner in crime.
Eastwood called Culpo’s character a “significant part” of the film but revealed it was surprising to see her excel in a darker role. (Culpo’s previous acting credits include the rom-com I Feel Pretty and the comedy The Swing of Things.)
“She’s such an angel in real life and had such a heart of gold,” the actress told Us of Culpo. “So it was really fun to see her play a character that is just not [like] she is. It was really, really fun.”
Eastwood noted that Culpo’s “comedic timing really blew me away” and their two personalities “really complimented each other” on camera.
“She’s such a lovely person to work with,” she continued, adding that Culpo “really” made Tasha “come to life.”
Eastwood noted that she also connected with Gibson, 33, even though they played enemies.
“There was something very easy about working with him. I feel like we are kind of kindred spirits in a way,” she shared.
The pair, who are both the children of famous actors, bonded further over their stunt work in the mystery thriller. (Milo is the son of Mel Gibson, while Francesca is one of Clint Eastwood’s eight children.)
“We didn’t have stunt doubles, but there are some stunts and stuff that we did together, and that was really fun being able to kind of do that,” Francesca said. “I had never done my own stunts in that way. We had stuntmen and choreographers, but we didn’t have doubles.”
She recalled spending a lot of time with Milo to “make it look as good as possible,” which led to a “really fun” experience.
“I consider him a good friend now,” Francesca added. “He’s very cool. There’s something very mesmerizing about him on camera, I think.”
While Francesca has wonderful memories from set, she told Us that the success of every project comes down to what her parents think.
The actress said that her father, 94, is a “very smart man” who alongside her mother, Frances Fisher, are “the two most supportive people I could dream of having.”
Despite having such a great relationship with her parents, Francesca said it’s still stressful letting them see her movies.
“Their reaction to my work is always the most nerve wracking and then thrilling and exciting [part],” she confessed. “I think that they’ll like this one. I think they’ll get the humor of it. They like seeing me be a little wild.”
Clawfoot is available via streaming platforms on Friday, July 19. In addition to Francesca, Milo and Culpo, the thriller stars Nestor Carbonell as Evan and Oliver Cooper as Samuel.
With reporting by Amanda Williams
