At the 2012 Republican National Convention held last week in Tampa, what was supposed to be Mitt Romney's biggest night was overshadowed by an awkward performance by Clint Eastwood. 

The actor/director spoke to an empty chair on stage that was supposed to represent President Obama. And now, Eastwood is breaking his silence. 

Eastwood's hometown paper, The Carmel Pine Cone, is reporting that Eastwood's appearance at the convention came after a personal request from Romney and that organizers did not know what Eastwood would talk about because he himself didn't know. 

"It was supposed to be a contrast with all the scripted speeches, because I'm Joe Citizen," Eastwood said. "I'm a movie maker, but I have the same feelings as the average guy out there."

In the beginning of his speech, Eastwood spoke about the night of the 2008 general elections. 

"So I've got Mr. Obama sitting here," Eastwood said. I remember three and a half years ago, when Mr. Obama won the election. And though I was not a big supporter, I was watching that night when he was having that thing and they were talking about hope and change and they were talking about, yes we can, and it was dark outdoors, and it was nice, and people were lighting candles. They were saying, I just thought, this was great. Everybody is trying, Oprah was crying. I was even crying.  And then finally -- and I haven't cried that hard since I found out that there is 23 million unemployed people in this country."

Eastwood said he got to the convention hall just 15 or 20 minutes before he took center stage and it was as he waited in green room he go his inspiration. 

"There was a stool there, and some fella kept asking me if I wanted to sit down," Eastwood said. "When I saw the stool sitting there, it gave me the idea. I'll just put the stool out there and I'll talk to Mr. Obama and ask him why he didn't keep all of the promises he made to everybody."

Eastwood said he was unaware of the uproar his impromptu speech caused.

"They really seemed to be enjoying themselves," Eastwood said. "They were very enthusiastic, and we were all laughing."

Eastwood said even Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, came backstage to thank him.

Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, called Eastwood "the perfect icon of the Republican tea party: an angry old white man spewing incoherent nonsense."

According to the paper, Eastwood is a liberal on social issues such as gay marriage and abortion, but he has strongly conservative opinions about the colossal national debt that has accumulated while Obama has been president, his failure to get unemployment below 6 percent, and a host of other economic issues.