Now 70, Clint Eastwood has been on our screens for 45 years, since he went from a series of odd jobs (including a gas pumper like his father) to playing bit parts in B-movies like "Tarantula". From there he acted for eight years on "Rawhide" as Rowdy Yates before Sergio Leone made him an international star in his trilogy of Spaghetti westerns. "I care about the portrayal of my characters," he says. "How that relates to me, I do not know. I am fond of saying I am all of those people and none of those people. I really do not know. Certain elements of yourself creep through in your work and that gives you the background to portray certain things."

Remarkably, "Space Cowboys" is Eastwood's 22nd film as director since he first took an unpaid position in 1971 directing "Play Misty For Me". It's a career that has seen him direct such heralded revisionist westerns as "The Outlaw Josey Wales" and "Unforgiven", which won him a Best Director Oscar in 1993. Add to this the Charlie Parker biopic "Bird", the underrated John-Huston-inspired story "White Hunter, Black Heart" and the adult romance "The Bridges of Madison County" and Eastwood's track record is an impressive one. As to whether he is "a better director than Howard Hawks", as "Space Cowboys" co-star Tommy Lee Jones claims, only time will tell. Eastwood is too modest to make such statements, a factor that has doubtless aided his long-term success in Hollywood.