An earlier version of this article was published on June 2. It has been updated with statements from the interview’s author and publisher.

Clint Eastwood denied making comments to an Austrian newspaper where he was quoted criticizing filmmakers for their lack of originality, saying the entire interview was "phony."

A viral Clint Eastwood interview that gained attention over the past week, in which the 95-year-old star and director criticized Hollywood's "era of remakes and franchises," has been debunked by the director,