Clint Eastwood’s daughter, Alison, is very thankful her famous father chose to raise her away from Los Angeles.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Alison, the founder of the Eastwood Ranch Foundation Animal Welfare and Rescue facility, shared how her father saved her from the challenges she would have faced growing up in Hollywood with a famous parent.
“Growing up in the industry was very interesting,” Alison said. “Although I didn’t really grow up in L.A., which I am very thankful for, I grew up in the Carmel, Pebble Beach, Monterey area, and I feel like maybe that kind of saved me from some of the pitfalls that might have happened when a child grows up with a celebrity parent in Los Angeles.”
She added, “I have been living in Los Angeles since 2000, so I’m a longtime Angeleno. I’m a huge advocate for Southern California, whatever I can do to help the community and be part of it. I was born in Santa Monica, even though I wasn’t raised here, and I think for me, it’s just about helping the community and being part of a solution and really just being a great resource for people.”
In 2012, Alison founded the Eastwood Ranch Foundation Animal Welfare and Rescue nonprofit organization in Agoura Hills, California. The organization’s mission is to not only rescue animals from high-kill shelters but to help reduce pet overpopulation and increase pet adoptions through campaigns, events, education, spay/neuter programs and rescue partnerships, according to the website.
“I love people, I love animals, and I want them to come together,” Alison told Fox News Digital. “And I thought this was the best way to make that happen.”
She started the organization after realizing the severe overpopulation problem in Southern California shelters and nationwide. “But I wanted to do something locally. So, I started the animal rescue, and we had been working without bricks and mortar of our own for over 10 years now,” she continued. “So, we just opened our own place, and we’re hoping to help more animals. And then we also want to be a resource for the community, volunteer programs, educational programs. This is a place where people can come and hopefully feel good and get a new furry friend or a family member.”
Clint has been nothing but supportive of his daughter’s venture for more than a decade. “My dad and my family have been incredibly supportive. We’re all a team. We’re all animal lovers,” she said. “It’s really a family affair because we have all been long-time nature, animal lovers and just supporters of doing good and being philanthropic. So, he’s thrilled.”
Growing up with Clint as her father and being on set was often always fun for Alison. “I remember getting to do the clapboard before they would start a camera roll in the scene, and I got to help out with craft service. So, we just sort of did whatever we did. It was fun, Alison recalled. My brother and I always tooled around quite a bit when we were kids.”
Clint, an acclaimed actor and former mayor of Carmel, has eight children. Besides Alison, he is father to Laurie, Kyle, Kimber, Scott, Kathryn, Francesca, and Morgan.