George Clooney is not looking back.
The actor went on 60 Minutes on Sunday, March 23, to discuss his play Good Night, and Good Luck, which is based on his 2005 film of the same name and marks his Broadway debut.
Contributor Jon Wertheim recalled Clooney’s “Sexiest Man of the Year phase” in the early 2000s, to which Clooney responded that it “was a big time for” him, but things had changed for him professionally since then.
“Look, I am 63 years old. The two-time Academy Award winner declared, “I am not attempting to compete with 25-year-old leading men.” “That isn’t my job. I’m not making romantic films anymore.”
While Clooney is well-known for his serious performances, he has also portrayed leading males in rom-coms, including One Fine Day (1996) and, most recently, Ticket to Paradise (2022), starring Julia Roberts.
The film, Good Night, and Good Luck tells the true story of CBS News journalist Edward R. Murrow’s iconic exposé on Senator Joseph McCarthy. The production began preview performances on March 12 and will formally launch on April 3.
Clooney portrayed producer Fred Friendly onscreen, but on stage, he takes on the part of Murrow, which garnered David Strathairn an Oscar nod in 2006.
Clooney co-wrote Good Night, and Good Luck, both the film and the stage performance, with Grant Heslov and stars in it alongside Glenn Fleshler as Fred Friendly, as well as Mac Brandt, Will Dagger, Christopher Denham, Ilana Glazer, Clark Gregg, and others.
When asked about his near closeness to the crowd during his onstage performances, Clooney remarked on 60 Minutes, “I’m not looking at them.” I’m putting my wife, Amal Clooney, at the very, very back.”
When asked by Wertheim, 54, whether he wished he had done Broadway “earlier in [his] career,” Clooney confessed that he may not have been ready.
“I don’t know that I could’ve,” he remarked. “I didn’t do the work required to get there.”
Regarding the sense of fulfillment he now experiences, “Anyone who denies that is just a liar,” Clooney stated. “There is not a single actor alive who would not have loved to have performed on Broadway.”
So that’s the joy of it. As you grow older, it becomes more challenging. “But why not?” he continued.