Just to be clear, George Clooney isn’t entirely out of the loop at this point since he might show up now and again for brief parts that might be interesting enough for him to take on. But when it comes to being the leading man he’s even admitted that this just isn’t his role at the moment. Plus, he doesn’t really need the money, as he’s made so much from acting and from various other activities that he’s taken on outside of acting that he’s easily worth around $500 million, or close to it at least. That means that he’s set for the rest of his life, especially if he lives within his means and continues to make money in various ways that aren’t quite as stressful as acting. Some might laugh at the idea that actors suffer this much stress, and while I’m usually one of those that would say that a lot of actors don’t know the same stress as those that aren’t financially well off, but the hectic scheduling and demands of various movies can cause a different type of stress that a lot of us might not fully understand. Realizing this makes it a lot easier to understand why Clooney has been keeping his distance from the life at this point since he wants to enjoy the years he has left, which are many hopefully since he’s only 59.
20 years ago Clooney was at the top of his game, and he’s stayed there for a while, but it’s been obvious in the last decade or so that his star was beginning to wane just a bit. His last leading role came in 2016, and since then he’s been mostly seen in newscasts and other brief spots that aren’t nearly on par with what he used to do. His time in movies such as From Dusk Till Dawn, which is still a classic no matter what anyone says, and the Ocean’s 11 remakes are just a few of the movies that stand out in his stellar career since unfortunately, Batman is not a highlight that he might want to remember. It managed to get him paid, but that’s about it. But throughout his career in TV and in movies he’s been the kind of guy that a lot of folks have looked up to and yet, somehow, it feels as though he’s always been as close to the fringe as one could possibly be while still being one of the most respected actors in Hollywood. The reasoning behind this is simple since Clooney has performed in several movies that people might not even recall, but he’s been the same character throughout since he’s been the smarmy, cocksure, and sometimes arrogant individual that a lot of us fell in love with in the 90s and didn’t want to see get old. And for a while, it really felt as though he wasn’t about to age since he appeared to stay mostly the same.
These days though he’s definitely staying away from acting as much as he can, but he’s admitted that there’s a reason for this. He just isn’t interested in a lot of scripts as he’s not a young man any longer and a lot of the material that he’s seen just isn’t what he wants to do. Considering that he’s reached the point of financial stability where he can go without working for a while, it’s fair to say that he can do pretty much what he wants when it comes to working. On top of that, most directors would be glad to have him on set, but he’s not such a vital component that he would be needed in such a big way. Clooney isn’t so far gone that he doesn’t need to act at all any longer, but he’s definitely reached the point where he can state whether he wants to continue or not, and it does feel as though he might miss it every now and then and need to be a part of something, no matter how minor a role he might take. It was fun to watch him in From Dusk Till Dawn back in the day since he was still the kind of guy that could walk onto a set and make everyone stand to attention with his level of intensity. But those days have been long gone for a while since at this point he’s the older gentleman that can’t do as much and has already helped to pave the way for the younger generation to take over eventually.
The fact that he’s admitted as much is kind of impressive since a lot of actors might try to hold onto their career as much as they possibly can no matter how old they get. It’s a personal matter with each individual, but it’s also inspiring when some actors realize that their glory days are a pleasant memory at this point.
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