SimplyAbuDhabi XLVIII

George Clooney: ‘The only toxic thing you have, as you get older, is regret’. B y L u c y A l l e n , T h e I n t e r v i e w P e o p l e G eorge Clooney is no stranger to critical acclaim, having won Best Supporting Actor for his role in ‘Syriana’ [2005] and an Oscar as a producer for Best Picture for the film ‘Argo’ [2012]. Now, he is being lauded for his starring role in the film ‘Jay Kelly’. Clooney stars alongside Adam Sandler in the film directed by Noah Baumbach, from a script by Baumbach and Emily Mortimer. ‘Jay Kelly’ is a film about a famous movie star, Jay Kelly [played by Clooney], who goes on a spontaneous European journey with his manager, Ron [Sandler]. During the trip, they confront past choices, personal relationships, and the legacy they will leave behind, as Kelly comes to terms with his life outside of his successful acting career. The film is described as a poignant and humorous character study about fame, friendship and identity. George sat down recently to talk about what attracted him to his latest project, whether he sees many similarities with his character’s plight as he grows older in the movie business, and more… Congratulations on an incredible performance. How realistic was it in terms of the film business? GEORGE CLOONEY: Movies about show business don’t often get it really right. The thing I like about this film was that it kind of got actors right. It got how we make films right, which is different than we see a lot. So it was enjoyable. What are the main differences between you and your character – both very famous movie stars? GEORGE CLOONEY: I don’t live with the kind of regret that this guy has. As I get older and as many of my friends and family get older, you’re finding that the only toxic thing you have, really, as you get older, is regret. When you try something and fail, you at least learn from it, or you grow a tougher skin. But you can’t do that when you didn’t try. That’s regret. And Jay is a guy who has nothing but regret. He regrets the relationships in his life and not spending enough time with people he loves. I’ve been very lucky to not have much of those sorts of regrets. Had you andAdam Sandler worked together before? GEORGE CLOONEY: Just on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in the nineties. But we’ve been friends. We’ve played basketball together for a long time. And we’ve always tried to find something to do. From the minute we started rehearsing, it was evident that he had a real grasp of what he wanted to do. He did a beautiful job. He’s a wonderful actor. You also worked with the great Emily Mortimer, who wrote this film with Noah. What was that like? GEORGE CLOONEY: What a thrill. She’s just one of those actresses that is so much fun to be in a room with. She’s had this long, amazing career - it’s kind of acting royalty to be around her. And listen, everyone, Laura Dern too. She’s been a really close friend for over 40 years. So just the chance to work with people that I greatly admire and love being around – I feel very lucky every day. How did doing this film make you feel about your own career? GEORGE CLOONEY: It was interesting. My career has had many ups and downs and many things I wish I’d done better. For the last 10 years or so, for the most part, I was directing because I was more interested in telling stories. I did a play in Broadway as well. I hadn’t done a play in 40 years. Every night, I was worried. Because as you get older, it’s hard to remember your lines! So, I was scared. But it’s good to be 64 years old and not sure you can pull something off. And Jay Kelly is a film, a story, and a character where you had to sort of let those things happen. It’s good to be worried, as you get older, that you don’t have the answers. Simply Abu Dhabi | 117