George Clooney stars in ‘Jay Kelly’.
Opening in theaters on November 14th before premiering on Netflix December 5th is the new comedy-drama ‘Jay Kelly’ from director Noah Baumbach (‘Marriage Story’), which stars George Clooney (‘Michael Clayton’), Adam Sandler (‘Uncut Gems’) and Laura Dern (‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Oscar winner George Clooney to talk about his work on ‘Jay Kelly’, why he signed on to the project before reading the script, if he could relate to the character, why he wanted to work with Adam Sandler, and what he learned from collaborating with director Noah Baumbach.
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George Clooney as Jay Kelly in ‘Jay Kelly’. Cr. Peter Mountain/Netflix © 2025.
Moviefone: To begin with, I heard that you signed on to this project before reading the script because you were so excited to work with Adam Sandler and director Noah Baumbach. Can you talk about that, and have you ever done that before?
George Clooney: Yeah. I got a call, I was doing ‘Out of Sight’, and I got a call from the Coenbrothers. They said, “We’re going to send you a script if you want to do it.” I said, “I’m going to do it,” before (I read it). It was ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’ So, I’ve had a couple of times. There are directors in our business that you want to work with, and you would work with under any circumstances. I’d do the same thing with Alexander Payne if he called me or (Steven) Soderbergh obviously, and Alfonso Cuarón, some directors I’ve been very lucky to work with. Jason Reitman is a friend. But then I read it, and I thought, “Well, this is a really exciting project to do.” I know it sounds unusual to say but there aren’t that many great scripts. There aren’t that many great projects that you get to be a part of. When you get older, the parts become less and less. So, to be 64 years old and have somebody bring a script and a role like this, I just feel very lucky.
George Clooney as Jay Kelly in ‘Jay Kelly’. Cr. Peter Mountain/Netflix © 2025.
MF: I’ve also heard you say that when you did read the screenplay, you didn’t relate to your character. What did you mean by that and as an actor, is it better to not relate to the character because it gives you more objectivity in the performance?
GC: Well, I think you must find a way to relate. When I see the movie, I get why people go, “Oh, there’s a lot of similarity.” But when I read it, this character, he’s a guy who lives with just regret. He lives with all these things, these roads he didn’t travel, these things that he missed in life. I feel as if, for me, in general, although there’s always regret, it doesn’t fill my days and nights. When you get to the fork in the road, I’ve tended to take the more difficult fork. I’ve felt that, although I failed, which you can live with failure, it’s much easier to live with failure than it is to live with regret. So, when I read the script, it didn’t dawn on me that that it could be who I was. It just dawned on me that I was interested in playing a guy who didn’t take those turns.
(L to R) Adam Sandler as Ron Sukenick and George Clooney as Jay Kelly in ‘Jay Kelly’. Cr. Peter Mountain/Netflix © 2025.
MF: I know that you’ve been friends with Adam Sandler for a long time, what was it like to finally work with him on this film?
GC: Well, Adam’s a wonderful actor. That’s what sometimes people forget because he does broad comedies too and does stand-up and things. So, sometimes it gets lost in the idea that he really is a beautiful actor, and we’ve been friends for 30 years. I knew he’d be great in the part, and then the minute we got on the set, it was easy. The rehearsal process was fun. There’s a certain amount of confidence in actors, particularly of a certain age, when they’re not trying to own every scene. They’re kind of actively trying to give it to the other person. Adam and I felt that we were both going, “Oh, you get that. You take that.” There’s a kindness to that, that comes off, I think, on screen.
(L to R) George Clooney as Jay Kelly and director Noah Baumbach on the set of ‘Jay Kelly’. Cr. Peter Mountain/Netflix © 2025.
MF: Finally, what did you learn from watching the way Noah Baumbach makes movies that you might want to adopt yourself the next time you direct a film?
GC: Well, that’s an interesting question. For the most part, the directors that I’ve worked with don’t rehearse. They don’t believe in it. The Coen brothers don’t really rehearse, and Soderbergh doesn’t rehearse. They kind of feel like it’s all going to happen, and I’ve always worked that way as a director. I was resistant to rehearsing because I’m going to work whatever way the director wants. I think rehearsal is an interesting thing, particularly on a film that’s so deeply designed into performances. So, I think rehearsal was an interesting thing to watch and to pay attention to, and maybe something that can be more applied as time goes on.
‘Jay Kelly’ opens in theaters on November 14th and premieres on Netflix December 5th.
What’s the story of ‘Jay Kelly’?
The film follows famous movie actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler).
Who is in the cast of ‘Jay Kelly’?
George Clooney as Jay Kelly in ‘Jay Kelly’. Cr. Netflix © 2025.
