George Clooney Discusses Directing Style with Noah Baumbach
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, George Clooney revealed his thoughts on adapting to director Noah Baumbach’s unique style during the production of their upcoming film, Jay Kelly. The movie is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival later this month before being released on Netflix later this year.
Clooney explained, “I literally said to him, ‘Noah, look, I love the script. I love you as a director, but I’m 63 years old, dude — I can’t do 50 takes.’ I don’t have it in me. I’ve got the acting range from A to B.”
Star-Studded Cast and Plot Overview
Clooney stars as Jay Kelly, a celebrated film actor in his 60s who confronts personal challenges while attending an Italian film festival to receive a tribute award. Alongside Clooney, Laura Dern portrays Jay’s publicist, while Adam Sandler plays his manager.
Clooney reflected on the significance of this role, noting, “When you’re an actor in my position, at my age, finding roles like this aren’t all that common. If you can’t make peace with aging, then you’ve got to get out of the business and just disappear. I’m now the guy that, when I go running after a bad guy, it’s funny — it’s not suspenseful. That’s okay. I embrace all of that.”
Addressing Criticism
The film also tackles the criticism that Jay Kelly merely plays himself in all his roles. Clooney stated, “Do people say that I only play myself? I don’t give a shit. There aren’t that many guys in my age group that are allowed to do both broad comedies like O Brother, Where Art Thou? and then do Michael Clayton or Syriana. So if that means I’m playing myself all the time, I don’t give a shit. … Have you ever tried playing yourself? It’s hard to do.”
Clooney Reflects on His Career
He further elaborated on his career path, saying, “I’ve been the beneficiary of having my career not be massively successful in lots of different directions. I didn’t really get successful, in the kind of success that can be blinding, until I was 33 years old. I’d been working for 12 years at that point. I had a real understanding of how fleeting all of it is and how little it has to do with you, quite honestly.”
Praise for Adam Sandler
Clooney expressed high regard for Adam Sandler, who reunites with Baumbach for Jay Kelly, following their collaboration on The Meyerowitz Stories. Sandler’s manager character provokes many memorable exchanges with Clooney’s character throughout the film.
Clooney praised Sandler’s talent, stating, “This film, more than any film Adam has done, shows what a beautiful, heartfelt, soulful actor he is. I kept telling the cast, ‘Don’t call him Sand Man. Don’t talk to him like he’s just some goofy comedian. He’s actually a really beautiful, wonderful actor.’ Because of what his paycheck is, which is doing big goofy comedies, when he does these other, beautiful, ‘Uncut Gems’ kinds of movies, it reminds people of that. He’s not just a good comedian.”
Release Information
Jay Kelly is set to hit select U.S. theaters on November 14, with its streaming debut on Netflix slated for December 5.
