George Clooney Hits Back at Biggest Criticism of His Acting
Clooney addressed the criticism that his roles lack 'versatility' in a profile for Vanity Fair out Monday. 'Do people say that I only play myself? I don't give a s--t,' he told the magazine. '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 s--t.'
As a high-profile Democratic fundraiser and activist, Clooney has butted heads with a number of political figures on both sides of the aisle—drawing criticism for his acting work nearly every time. Last June, Russian security head Dmitry Medvedev threatened Clooney over the Clooney Foundation's work in the country, as he called him a 'mediocre actor' in a post to X.
Most recently, Joe Biden's son Hunter took aim at the actor on the At Our Table podcast after Clooney wrote an New York Times op-ed pushing the then-president not to seek re-election.
'I love George Clooney's movies, but I don't really give a s--t what he thinks about who should be the nominee for the Democratic Party,' Biden said at the time. He then slammed Clooney's acting abilities in his expletive-filled tirade, 'I was about to say I really like George Clooney as an actor, but the truth of the matter is, the truth is, I'll be honest, I really don't like George Clooney as an actor or as a person.'
'F--- him! F--- him and f--- everybody around him,' he also said, 'I agree with Quentin Tarantino. George Clooney is not a f---ing actor... He's a brand.' Others have criticized Clooney's filmography by arguing he should stick to playing 'suave,' as his 'range of emotions is limited.' Clooney told Vanity Fair he doesn't see any validity in the critique.
'I've been the beneficiary of having my career not be massively successful in lots of different directions,' Clooney said. '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.'
Clooney will soon star alongside Adam Sandler in Noah Baumbach's new film for Netflix, Jay Kelly, which is expected to be an awards season contender.
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