S Poddar
George Clooney didn’t hold his fire after comments from Quentin Tarantino resurfaced that downplayed Clooney’s status in Hollywood. The actor has enjoyed a celebrated career both in front of and behind the camera and seemed less than impressed by Tarantino’s suggestion that Clooney doesn’t quite measure up as a movie star.
Clooney’s anger was brought about by a Tarantino comment during an interview. The director, known for his acidic opinions, was speaking about the big movie stars when he waxed dismissive on Clooney: “He’s not a movie star. Name me a movie since the millennium.” Clearly, this offhanded comment struck the right nerve with Clooney, who has spent the last two decades building solid work.
Clooney, in an interview with GQ, elaborated on how he was annoyed: “Quentin said some things about me recently, and I’ve got to say, I’m a little irritated by him.” Clooney, who took the lead role in the 1996 From Dusk Till Dawn, penned by Tarantino and directed by Robert Rodriguez, previously thought mutual respect was shared between him and Tarantino. But this latest dig changed his mind. “I was like, ‘Since the millennium? That’s kinda my whole career,'” Clooney said, underlining just how much of his success has been since 2000.
Clooney’s post-millennium career is nothing short of phenomenal. He claimed fame with his role of Doug Ross in ER, which catapulted him into the world of cinema. Early in his filmography come titles like One Fine Day, Out of Sight, and even the much-talked-about Batman & Robin—a film Clooney himself has criticized over the years.
After all, it is the latter years that really cemented Clooney’s status as truly one of Hollywood’s elite: he worked with such legendary directors like the Coen brothers on projects such as O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Intolerable Cruelty, Burn After Reading, and Hail, Caesar!. He has also worked with Wes Anderson on Fantastic Mr. Fox and Alfonso Cuarón on Gravity—movies generally received as box office hits as well as critical successes.
Not simply limited to acting, Clooney has made some relevant contributions to the world of cinema as a director, and his directorial works are no less impressive. Among them are Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Good Night, and Good Luck, and The Ides of March. His work on Syriana won him an Academy Award, with further recognition coming in the form of nominations for Up in the Air and The Descendants. These successes underline his versatility and success within the industry, which only serves to make Tarantino’s comments further misplaced.
Clooney wasn’t going to take a poke from Tarantino lying down. “So now I’m like, alright, dude, f*** off. I don’t mind giving him s. He gave me s,” Clooney said, revealing that while he’s willing to dish out some banter, he’s not afraid to defend his achievements.
This instantaneous exchange so well evidences the intrinsically subjective lines of stardom as a heavy industry: while Tarantino’s comment might have been a light dig, there definitely would have been a sore spot for Clooney, who has worked really hard over the years to build and maintain his career.
The latest from Clooney is Wolfs, a reunion with Brad Pitt and directed by Jon Watts. The action-comedy—which also stars Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, and Poorna Jagannathan—finds two professional fixers forced to work together after being hired for the same job. It will play in theaters for one week, starting September 20, before its streaming debut on Apple TV+.
As Clooney continues to build his body of work, it is clear that he isn’t through yet. While Clooney may be a little “irritated” by Tarantino’s comments, his response made one thing very clear: George Clooney knows he’s worth a lot, and he isn’t afraid to defend it.
