George Clooney Slams Critics for Questioning His Acting Skills: 'I Don't Give a S---'

George Clooney is taking a stand against critics questioning his acting chops.

The 64-year-old star recently faced scrutiny from various sources, including Oscar-winning filmmakers, movie critics and even Hunter Biden.

Despite this, Clooney didn't hold back.

"Do people say that I only play myself? I don't give a s---," he confessed to Vanity Fair. "There aren't that many guys in my age group that are allowed to do both broad comedies like O Brother ,[Where Art Thou?] and then do Michael Clayton or Syriana. So if that means I'm playing myself all the time, I don't give a s---."

He added, "Have you ever tried playing yourself? It's hard to do."

Clooney's latest project, Noah Baumbach's Jay Kelly, features him as a world-famous movie star facing a personal reckoning at an Italian film festival. While he was eager to join the project after reading the script, he had a request for Baumbach, known for demanding multiple takes from his actors.

"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," Clooney admitted. "I don't have it in me. I've got the acting range from A to B."

The actor also defended his costar, Adam Sandler, against being typecast. Clooney emphasized Sandler's impressive dramatic abilities, saying, "This film, more than any film Adam has done, shows what a beautiful, heartfelt, soulful actor he is. I kept telling the cast, 'Don't call him Sand Man. Don't talk to him like he's just some goofy comedian. He's actually a really beautiful, wonderful actor.'"

Sandler, known for his comedic roles, rarely receives recognition for his dramatic performances. Clooney noted, "Because of what his paycheck is, which is doing big goofy comedies, when he does these other, beautiful, Uncut Gems kinds of movies, it reminds people of that. He's not just a good comedian."

Clooney is no stranger to defending his career. In 2023, director Quentin Tarantino stated that while actors like Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio are movie stars, Clooney isn't. "It's been a long while since I think George Clooney has drawn anybody to an audience," Tarantino remarked. "When was the last time that he had a hit in this millennium?"

Clooney responded a year later during a GQ interview with Pitt. "Quentin said some s--- about me recently, so I'm a little irritated by him," he shared. "He did some interview where he was naming movie stars… And then this guy goes, 'Well, what about George?' He goes, 'He's not a movie star.'"

The Ocean's Trilogy star pointed out, "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 f------ career.'"

Despite the backlash, Clooney has enjoyed significant success since the turn of the century, including hit movies like Ocean's Eleven, Michael Clayton, Up in the Air and The Descendants. He won an Oscar for his supporting role in Syriana.

However, the criticism didn't stop at Tarantino. Biden recently attacked the actor during an interview, criticizing Clooney for penning an op-ed about Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 election. Hunter said, "I agree with Quentin Tarantino. F------- George Clooney is not a f—--- actor. He is f------- like… I don't know what he is. He's a brand."