LOS ANGELES: Clint Eastwood made quite a splash when he starred in a Super Bowl commercial that talked about "halftime in America." For those who saw it as a sign of backing for President Obama, his weekend endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney might be seen as reversing his field.

Saying that he believed "the country needs a boost," the 82-year-old actor and director endorsed Romney in Sun Valley, Idaho, on Friday night. The setting was fundraiser that brought in more than $2 million for the Victory Fund, a joint effort between the Romney campaign and the Republican National Committee.

Eastwood said at the gathering that he became aware of Romney when he was filming the 2003 movie "Mystic River" in Massachusetts.

"And at that time Gov. Romney was running for governor and I kept seeing him appear on television all the time and I said 'God this guy, he's too handsome to be governor, but he does look like he could be president,'" he said.

Eastwood cited tax reform as one reason he was backing Romney, telling the crowd that former Massachusetts governor was "going to restore, hopefully, a decent tax system that we need badly...so that there's a fairness and people are not pitted against one another as to who's paying taxes and who isn't."

Romney, demonstrating he knows a cue when he gets one, said that Eastwood's backing "made my day." - Reuters

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