While Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman enjoy the spotlight after the titanic success of Deadpool & Wolverine, another pair of Hollywood BFFs, George Clooney and Brad Pitt, enjoy a charming life. Surrounded by beautiful people, the most gorgeous vistas on the planet, and many of the finest luxuries life offers, it’s tough to endure all that pampering and praise (he wrote with sarcasm). It’s not like they didn’t work for it. You only rise to the top of the Hollywood crop by contributing a few bangers to the industry, and you certainly only get to where these two gentlemen are if you pay a few dues. How did their lives become this way? Is their bromance the stuff of legend? What’s up with Clooney having choice words for Quentin Tarantino? Let’s find out.
Speaking with GQ at the Château Miraval winery, Clooney reveals why he’s limited his on-screen appearances recently, preferring to stay behind the camera or be the money man. He’s got a project with Noah Baumbach on the way and, of course, Wolfs with his buddy Brad Pitt. When asked why he’s returning to acting after becoming so selective, Clooney answered:
“The main reason is that it is a year on the road to direct, and now my kids are of a certain age. We’re not going to uproot our kids out of school and run around. Before that, they could just come with us and we would all go. But that’s different now. So now I’m going to just probably focus on other things, like acting.”
Meanwhile, Brad Pitt says he’s trying to act less, limiting his time in front of cameras to enjoy life’s finer, more important things. When asked to detail his strategy, Pitt said:
“Well, now I’m doing one movie in a year and a half. [Laughter.] No, I’m still kind of on the same trajectory. I feel the same. I’m really just trying to enjoy the people that I love around me and just living. [He gestures out at the vineyard.] I don’t know how to not sound cheesy about it, but just the air is fresh and the grass is green and I’ve just kind of become that guy a little bit.”
Regarding the duo’s upcoming Jon Watts-directed thriller Wolfs, Clooney says he’s happy to do the film while he and Pitt still have some gas left in the tank. The film highlights Clooney and Pitt’s whip-smart chemistry, a solution they’ve been mixing for nearly a quarter-century with the release of Ocean’s Eleven.
Eventually, the conversation steers toward Pitt and Clooney’s work with celebrated directors, including David Fincher and Questin Tarantino. While it’s clear that each director prefers to work with one over the other, Pitt can’t help but wonder what the hang-up is with Tarantino not tapping Clooney for more roles. Clooney has an idea and some choice words for his From Dusk Till Dawn co-star.
“Quentin said some shit about me recently, so I’m a little irritated by him,” Clooney says. “He did some interview where he was naming movie stars, and he was talking about you, 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.” And I was like, “Since the millennium? That’s kind of my whole fucking career.”
Pitt couldn’t help but laugh as Clooney continued to explain his position:
“So now I’m like, all right, dude, fuck off. I don’t mind giving him shit. He gave me shit. But no, look, we’re really lucky we got to work with these great directors. Director and screenplay is what keeps you alive. And I learned that after doing some really bad films. You can’t make a good film out of a bad script. You can’t do it. You can make a bad film out of a good script. You can fuck it up.”
Jon Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home) directed and wrote Wolfs, which centers on two lone-wolf fixers assigned to the same job. Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, and Poorna Jagannathan star alongside Clooney and Pitt.
Wolfs was originally slated to have a wide theatrical release before launching on Apple TV+, but it will now receive a limited theatrical release on September 20th before debuting on the streaming service on September 27th. The film is still slated to make its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, which runs from August 28th to September 7th.