There's not much George Clooney can't accomplish at this stage of his life and career – well, except when it comes to specific on-set techniques.
The actor, 64, is next set to star in the coming-of-age drama Jay Kelly, telling the story of a famous actor (played by George) and his manager (played by Adam Sandler) who reflect on their life's choices while exploring Europe.
Directed by Noah Baumbach and co-written with Emily Mortimer, the film places George at the center as a Hollywood star confronting his own mortality and public perception, and in a new interview with Vanity Fair, he's setting the record straight on honing his craft after decades in the business.
George is, of course, even renowned for embracing love and fatherhood later in love, marrying Amal Clooney when he was 53. But when told the Marriage Story director had a penchant for doing several takes while filming, George jokingly balked.
"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,'" he told the publication. "'I don't have it in me. I've got the acting range from A to B.'"
George further spoke about finding "peace" in aging and, more than that, finding peace in getting roles that fit the bill. "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."
While the irony of George's comments on aging are apparent given he dyed his hair to play the much younger Edward R. Murrow on Broadway just earlier this year in the adaptation of Good Night, and Good Luck, he has a point.
Hollywood may have historically been kinder to men over women when it comes to their shelf lives, but that barrier becomes fuzzier when you spend most of your years in the business labeled as a "sex symbol" like George, like his close friend Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise. You either lean into the IP that made you a star (Mission: Impossible, Top Gun) or lean into your experience as a plus (F1, now officially Brad's highest grossing film worldwide).
The idea of aging in the industry, aka longevity, being considered a major selling point became THE topic of conversation this past year, thanks to star turns from Demi Moore in The Substance and even, to an extent, Nicole Scherzinger in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway.
Thankfully, with Jay Kelly and his continuing work as an executive producer on the hit TV series The Agency, Hollywood doesn't have to fret about George leaving anytime soon.
Noah even admitted that Syriana star came around to his techniques and proved to be more than willing to grow and embrace new styles and challenges during production. "George really was, like, 'I'm here for you to work the way you feel we should work,'" he added.
"Within a scene, you can feel this dashing, debonair movie star—and then you can see an older father, or a son who's trying to get the approval of his father, or a friend in terms of Ron. He is able to make all these transformations invisibly."