These days, it feels like George Clooney is known more for his political opinions than his acting career. Billions earned at the box office? Meh. Billions more raised in advocacy, humanitarian efforts, and charity? Yawn. Two-time People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive? Getting closer, but nah. Donald Trump calls you a “rat” on Truth Social? That’s when you know you’ve made it.
Believe it or not, George Clooney used to be famous for something other than his political flip-flops. Well, hold onto your hats because there was actually a time before Clooney’s latest head-scratcher: penning a New York Times op-ed calling Joe Biden unfit for office mere weeks after throwing him the mother of all fundraisers. Yes, you heard that right – he hosted a record-breaking cash bash for Biden, the biggest ever for a Democrat candidate, then declared to the world that the guy shouldn’t run. Talk about a plot twist!
In the before times, George Clooney was seen as a bankable leading man and director. Before even that, he was perceived as a television actor who would never break into the realm of the silver screen. Those were The Facts of Life, which was also the name of a television show he appeared on in the late 80s. He was featured on Roseanne when it first became the #1 show on television.
Clooney’s long been known as a prankster, and Roseanne Barr wasn’t immune from his shenanigans. Rumor has it that while Clooney was on set, he took a Polaroid of his…uh…”Batman and Robins”…his…”Nespresso Machine”…his…dick; he took a picture of his dick, and the photo got passed around until it ended up on Roseanne’s fridge. From the evidence of his body to Bodies of Evidence in the early 90s, then a show called Sisters before his breakout television role on ER. He was on a different, unrelated show called E/R in the mid-80s. This one was a half-hour sitcom, unlike the hour-long drama that got him so much attention.
For a while, Clooney’s only feature film of note, which was a barely audible note, was when he and his gorgeous hair appeared in 1988’s Return of the Killer Tomatoes!, until he landed his next comedy, One Fine Day in 1996. One Fine Day is the movie’s name, not just how he felt about the day he got the gig. Though he was credited as, and I swear I’m not making this up “Lip Syncing Transvestite” in 1993’s The Harvest. Ah, the 90’s. It was a simpler time.
George Clooney has never been afraid to tap into his comedic side; even his dramas have shades of humor. He was a supporter of the irreverent animated series South Park before it was even picked up by Comedy Central. He’d go on to appear on the show as Sparky, the gay dog, and in the animated feature South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut as a doctor, a nod to his iconic character from ER. Clooney never lost his love for comedies, appearing in the Russo Brothers’ comic caper flick Welcome to Collinwood in 2002. He directed Leatherheads in 2008, with elements of a romantic comedy and sports movie. It actually got them an ESPY award for “Best Sports Film”. He and Julia Roberts brought their star power to another romantic comedy with 2022’s Ticket to Paradise.
Where Clooney really cut his teeth and made his mark was in action and thriller movies. It seems crazy now, but it was considered a risk for Robert Rodriguez, riding high off of the reception for Desperado, to cast George Clooney, then known primarily for small-screen sitcoms and soap operas, as his leading man for the ambitious 1996 action horror From Dusk Till Dawn. But that risk paid off, and the movie is one of both Rodriguez and Clooney’s best efforts today. From the best effort to the worst Batman, and for some reason, they doubled down on the suit nipples in 1997’s Batman and Robin. There is some style but too much silliness and insufficient substance for Clooney’s take on the caped crusader to save the day.
Let’s put that piece of shit movie Out of Sight, which also happens to be the name of a movie Clooney appeared in in 1998 and only really suffers from a rushed romance, which a lot of these kinds of movies do, and is otherwise pretty awesome. The 2000s saw George Clooney at the peak of his powers. It was The Perfect Storm, if you will. He made his directorial debut with 2002’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. He got a lot out of his fellow actors for a first-timer, including convincing Drew Barrymore and Julia Roberts to work for scale and Brad Pitt and Matt Damon to cameo for free. He was in a couple of space movies, first 2002’s Solaris, and of course, under the brilliant direction of Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity in 2013, which had a real pull on audiences and critics alike. It remains George Clooney’s highest-grossing and most-awarded film, and for good reason. We just touched on style over substance with Batman and Robin, and 2015’s Tomorrowland is another offender. Like, It could have been SO cool. Oh well. Clooney rounded out his action/thriller resume with 2016’s Money Monster. After a 4-year hiatus from the silver screen, he returned for 2020’s The Midnight Sky, which he also directed. He briefly returned in a one-off as one of a few Bruce Waynes for The Flash in 2023, which I’m sure everyone was clamoring for.
George Clooney’s passion for politics extended into his career, and he became known for his roles in political thrillers and dramas. On the thriller end, he tried it with 1997’s The Peacemaker, 2000’s Fail Safe, which is actually an excellent remake, 2007’s Michael Clayton, and 2010’s The American, and he flexed his actor/director muscles with The Ides of March in 2011. But it was 2005’s Syriana that earned him his lone Academy Award because Producer Oscars don’t count. Clooney actually suffered a brain injury while on set, which may explain his recent political flip-flopping, and also, doesn’t that make it a bit hypocritical for him to criticize Biden’s ineptitude?
On the drama end of Clooney’s political and war credits are 1998’s The Thin Red Line and 1999’s Three Kings. He wrote, directed, and starred in the excellent historical drama Good Night and Good Luck in 2005, which landed him Oscar noms for Writing and Directing. The night was good, the luck was good, and the German was good in The Good German in 2006. In 2009, Clooney was one of The Men Who Stare at Goats; in 2014, he was one of The Monuments Men, which he also directed. 2019 saw Clooney receive well-deserved praise for his role as an actor and director for the TV mini-series Catch 22, and he sat exclusively in the director’s chair, serving as a rudder for The Boys in the Boat in 2023.
I feel like George Clooney’s run as Danny Ocean, which includes 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven, 2004’s Ocean’s Twelve, and 2007’s Ocean’s Thirteen, deserves its own mention for how it aligns with the growth of his career. As the series went on, Clooney went from “Hey, it’s that guy from ER!” to the highest-paid actor in Hollywood. And the movies, the movies! The loaded ensemble cast oozes charisma and class, of course, led by George Clooney and that fucking smile. The soundtracks, the snappy editing, and the heist plans almost make sense if you don’t think too hard about them. I feel like these movies were made in a lab just for me. Okay, maybe they’re not…like…good…but they’re fucking great. Does that make any sense?
George Clooney has also been a favorite of the Coen Brothers over the years. O Brother, Where Art Thou? was a star-making turn for him in 2000. He was his typical charming smooth talker that we’ve come to know, but this time, with an accent! He showed great chemistry with Catherine Zeta-Jones in 2003’s Intolerable Cruelty. I’m sure that pretending you’re not in love with a prime Catherine Zeta-Jones is a unique acting challenge. He’s pretty convincing as he comes unhinged in 2008’s Burn After Reading. 2016’s Hail, Caeser! ends with a disclaimer that says, “This motion picture contains no visual depiction of the godhead,” but Clooney was pretty much a god at this point.
Clooney ventured into more typical family fare, too, notably with cameos in his friend Robert Rodriguez’ Spy Kids in 2001 and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over in 2003. He voiced the Fantastic Mr. Fox in the Fantastic Mr. Fox for Wes Anderson in 2009 and voiced another spaceman in 2024’s IF, and IF you liked that movie, you might be the only one.
Clooney went more conventionally dramatic for Up in the Air in 2009, The Descendants in 2011, 8 in 2012, and from the director’s chair for 2021’s The Tender Bar. Coming up, he’s set to star in Wolfs opposite Brad Pitt. There was a huge bidding war over rights to the movie, with Apple eventually landing it. Then Clooney and Pitt were like, “What the fuck is Apple TV+?” and negotiated a theatrical release. It’s written and directed by Jon Watts, so it’s probably gonna be awesome.
Also dramatic and definitely not awesome was his New York Times op-ed. He’s entitled to his opinion, but I liked him better when he was trying to rob casinos, not trying to steal elections. I think we all did. If you can get Trump and Biden to agree on something, you’re probably doing something wrong. So maybe that’s what the fuck happened to George Clooney. He lost the fucking plot.