Clooney Responds to Critics Accusing Him of Playing Himself in Films

George Clooney has hit out at critics who accused him of playing himself in his movies.

The actor, 64, has had an illustrious career spanning 40 years, in which he’s bagged an Academy Award for his role in Syriana in addition to a wealth of other accolades.

But despite his success, the star has still come under fire about his versatility as a performer – and George had plenty to say about this in the form of a foul-mouthed retort.

During a recent interview with Variety, the Ocean’s 11 star was asked about the doubts about his range as an actor, with George furiously snapping back: ‘Do people say that I only play myself? I don’t give a sh*t.’

George went on: ‘There aren’t that many guys in my age group that are allowed to do both broad comedies like O Brother [Where Art Though?] and then do Michael Clayton or Syriana. So if that means I’m playing myself all the time, I don’t give a sh*t.’

Echoing a quote from his character in upcoming project Jay Kelly, he added: Have you ever tried playing yourself? It’s hard to do.’ 

The Hollywood hunk continued: ‘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 [when ER began]. 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.’

It comes after back in March, George quietly revealed the real reason he has quit starring in romantic comedies for good.

The film star used to be one of the most sought after romantic comedy stars, but in recent years he has largely stepped away from the once-popular genre.

George opened up about his changing career in an interview with 60 Minutes that that focused on his Broadway debut in Good Night, And Good Luck, a play adapted from the Oscar-nominated 2005 film that he directed, co-wrote and co-starred in.

According to the A-list star, he has simply aged into a new phase of his career that doesn’t align with most youth-focused rom-coms.

‘Look, I’m 63 years old, I’m not trying to compete with 25-year-old leading men,’ he admitted.

‘That’s not my job,’ he continued, before declaring, ‘I’m not doing romantic films anymore.’

Part of what has made Clooney so popular — which often translates to box-office success — is that he’s charming enough to make non-romantic comedies feel as if they are rom-coms.

Although his blockbuster heist comedy thriller Ocean’s 11 isn’t a traditional romantic comedy, the tension and humor that he brought to it with his costar Julia Roberts made every scene that they shared feel like a rom-com. 

One of George’s most acclaimed films in the genre was an earlier collaboration with his Ocean’s series director Steven Soderbergh on Out Of Sight.

Even though that film had elements of a crime comedy and a thriller, his burgeoning on-screen romance with Jennifer Lopez comfortably sits with the best romantic comedies.

George also worked with the Coen brothers on the screwball comedy Intolerable Cruelty with costar Catherine Zeta-Jones, but his Cary Grant–like charm and screen presence means that even some of his more traditional romantic dramas get just enough comedy to feel like rom-coms.

His last official rom-com to date was the 2022 box-office success Ticket To Paradise, which grossed nearly $169 million against a $60 million budget. 

He and Julia Roberts reunited for the film, in which they play divorced parents who team up to put a stop to their daughter’s destination wedding in Bali. 

Clooney also notes in his 60 Minutes interview that his life has changed in other ways, as he’s now a married man with children, rather than one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors, as he was at the height of his commercial potential.