George Clooney, renowned for his roles in films such as O Brother, Where Art Thou? and the Ocean‘s series, has built a reputation as a Hollywood icon with a career spanning decades. Recently, during the press tour for Noah Baumbach’s new comedy-drama Jay Kelly, Clooney shared his candid perspective on the impact of social media for younger actors, offering blunt guidance about its downsides.
On The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Clooney openly advised upcoming performers to avoid social platforms, urging them to “get the f*ck off” social media. He believes that the chase for followers distracts actors from cultivating lasting careers and diminishes their capacity to maintain a larger-than-life image. His comments come amid ongoing industry debates about the importance of social media presence in casting decisions.
The Reality Behind Followers in Casting Decisions
Clooney revealed that during his time directing and casting, social media follower numbers often played an outsized role in choosing between two actors. He recounts being told by casting directors and studios about candidates’ Instagram followings, some with hundreds of thousands of followers, others far fewer. Despite this, Clooney discouraged relying on these figures as a measure of talent or potential.
“I talk to kids all the time. I talk to kids at SAG and things, and they’re all on Instagram and everything. And when I was directing, and I was casting, and it was between two actors, the casting director and the studio would come to me and go, ‘Well, she’s got 175,000 followers on Instagram, and the other girl’s got 30,000.’ Those were literally the discussions we had. And I said to all these actors, ‘Get the f*ck off of it. Get off of all of it. Because if you’re not on it, you have nothing to be compared to.”
He admits understanding the commercial appeal of social media, noting the opportunities for monetization such as paid promotions. However, Clooney sees the constant engagement it demands as an exhausting obligation that ultimately restricts an actor’s creative and personal freedom.
“And that access, I get it — you can monetize it, you can drink a certain kind of water, and they’ll pay you 10 grand, and fair enough, I get it, I understand it. But trying to maintain a career and answer all of the questions that every individual has for you, it’s diminishing your ability to be bigger than life. It’s inevitable, and I’m sort of swimming upstream, and I don’t think that there’s much you can do about it, but I do think it’s better to not be as available.”
Clooney’s Perspective on Artificial Intelligence in Hollywood
Beyond social media, Clooney expressed unease regarding the rise of generative AI technologies in the entertainment industry. He described some recent examples involving his digital likeness and fabricated dialogue as “very disturbing.”
It’s very disturbing, some of the stuff you’re seeing,
I’ve seen stuff with me in it that’s pretty disturbing, stuff that I ‘said’ that I never said, telling, you know, great stories about Hitler and stuff like that, where you just go, ‘Jesus Christ.’
His remarks underscore growing concerns about the ethical implications of AI-generated content, especially when it involves manipulating an actor’s image and voice in unauthorized ways.
From Television Favorite to Movie Star: Clooney’s Early Career Journey
During the podcast, Clooney reflected on his evolution from a familiar face on television to an established film actor. Known widely as Dr. Doug Ross on NBC’s ER, he admitted feeling uncertain about his transition to cinema, especially since many of his early films had modest success or underperformed at the box office.
“I got famous from television, not from movies. You watched me at home, and you could make me talk or not talk with the remote, and you’d watch me in your underwear, and you knew me personally, so I was very much accessible in that way.”
He described how his initial film projects such as Out of Sight and Three Kings didn’t achieve the recognition he’d hoped for, leading to doubts about his ability to break into movies successfully. However, after leaving ER, his career took a positive turn thanks to a mix of fortunate timing and roles in certain influential films.
“I’d done five or six films while I was doing ER, some very good ones, that didn’t succeed — Out of Sight didn’t succeed, Three Kings didn’t succeed — and so the big question was, ‘Am I going to make it in the movies?’ And the answer was no — until I left ER. The next two movies I had were sort of a perfect combination of The Perfect Storm — which was a big hit having nothing to do with me, but listen, I took a lot of sh*t for Batman & Robin, so I’ll take credit for the big wave — and O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which was a critical hit.”
The Lasting Impact of Clooney’s Views on Social Media for Actors
George Clooney’s frank warnings arrive at a time when social media presence often seems inseparable from an actor’s public identity. His call for younger actors to limit their online availability signals a challenge to the prevailing mindset in Hollywood that places heavy emphasis on digital follower counts. By encouraging performers to focus on their craft without being constantly tethered to social media, Clooney advocates preserving artistic integrity and personal mystery.
As the entertainment landscape shifts further due to technological innovations like AI and the pressures of public engagement, Clooney’s perspective reminds emerging actors of the potential pitfalls behind digital fame and the value of thoughtful career choices. His advice may prompt a reconsideration among new generations about balancing industry demands with self-preservation in an increasingly connected world.
