Director Clint Eastwood’s 2014 movie, American Sniper is often labeled as one of the most successful films in his filmography. The biographical war drama film was loosely based on the memoir American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History (2012) by Chris Kyle, with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice. While the film was massively praised for its contents, there was something that did not sit well with some viewers: a very unrealistic-looking baby.
Many jokes were made on social media over the very obvious plastic doll, however, there was a valid reason behind it as the shooting laws in California did not allow the filmmakers to use a real baby. The film’s screenwriter/executive producer Jason Hall also acknowledged the fake baby jokes, explaining why they had to use a fake plastic doll.
The fake baby in Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper (2014) invited criticism
Many will agree that American Sniper is one of the best movies in director Clint Eastwood‘s filmography. However, one thing that viewers couldn’t ignore was the fake plastic doll that was used in the scene where Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) and Taya (Sienna Miller) pass around their child while talking about Kyle leaving for another tour.
In a now-deleted tweet, the film’s screenwriter/executive producer Jason Hall explained why they used a fake plastic doll for the scene (via The Hollywood Reporter)
“Hate to ruin the fun but real baby #1 showed up with a fever. Real baby #2 was no show. (Clint voice) Gimme the doll, kid.”
Due to the fake baby, many critics questioned Eastwood’s direction, but they can’t be blamed as the babies indeed looked very fake, and one couldn’t just ignore it. Despite the fake baby, American Sniper received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor for Cooper, and won one award for Best Sound Editing.
Leave a Reply