George Clooney has opened up about his experience working with Noah Baumbach on Netflix’s “Jay Kelly,” a film in which he stars as a world-famous movie star in his 60s facing a personal reckoning.
Clooney, who headlines the title role, told Vanity Fair that he couldn’t adhere to Baumbach’s usual directing style of multiple takes due to his age. He expressed frustration with being typecast as playing himself, stating, “Do people say I only play myself? I don’t give a shit.” However, Clooney also acknowledged the difficulty in taking on new roles and said he didn’t have the acting range from A to B.
Clooney praised co-star Adam Sandler, who reunites with Baumbach after their work together on “The Meyerowitz Stories.” He noted that Sandler’s manager character creates many two-hander scenes between him and Clooney. The film is being positioned as one of Netflix’s Oscar players this upcoming awards season, with Clooney saying it’s a necessary role for someone in his age group to take.
“Jay Kelly” will release in select U.S. theaters on Nov. 14 before streaming on Netflix starting Dec. 5.
Source: https://variety.com/2025/film/news/george-clooney-defends-adam-sandler-great-actor-1236477728