George Clooney Stands Up to Critics with Refreshing Response

At 64, George Clooney has earned the right to be unbothered, and he’s showing it. With his trademark charm, he’s shutting down the noise and standing tall in his truth. Clooney is making it clear: he’s unbothered by critics who say he only plays himself on screen.

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Clooney Says He’s Proud to Play Himself

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“Do people say that I only play myself? I don’t give a s–t,” the 64-year-old told Vanity Fair in an interview published Aug. 4.

“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.”

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The “Jay Kelly” actor even cited a quote from his new Netflix coming-of-age film to support his stance: “Have you ever tried playing yourself? It’s hard to do.”

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Clooney Reflects on Fame & Success After Four Decades in Hollywood

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Clooney, who’s been in the business for over 40 years, credits his slow rise to fame for keeping him grounded.

“I’ve been the beneficiary of having my career not be massively successful in lots of different directions,” he said. “I didn’t really get successful, in the kind of success that can be blinding, until I was 33 years old.”

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Clooney’s Stardom Took Off With ‘ER’ After 12 Years of Hustling

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That breakthrough came in 1994, when he landed the role of Dr. Doug Ross on NBC’s hit medical drama ER.

“I’d been working for 12 years at that point,” Clooney added. “I had a real understanding of how fleeting all of it is and how little it has to do with you, quite honestly.”

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Quentin Tarantino Says Clooney Isn’t a “Movie Star”: Clooney Fires Back

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Director Quentin Tarantino previously told Deadline in 2023 that Clooney’s star power has faded.

“It’s been a long while since I think George Clooney has drawn anybody to an audience,” Tarantino said. “When was the last time that he had a hit in this millennial?”

Clooney didn’t let that one slide. “Quentin said some s–t about me recently, so I’m a little irritated by him,” Clooney told GQ.

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“He did some interview where he was naming movie stars, and he was talking about [Brad Pitt], and somebody else, and then this guy goes, ‘Well, what about George?’ He goes, ‘He’s not a movie star.’”

“And then he literally said something like, ‘Name me a movie since the millennium,’” Clooney continued. “And I was like, ‘Since the millennium? That’s kind of my whole f–king career.’”

In true Clooney fashion, he’s choosing confidence over criticism and proving that being unapologetically yourself is truly most powerful role of all!