George Clooney Says He’s Done Making Rom-Coms

George Clooney say’s he’s done making romantic comedies once and for all. The actor has been in the industry for decades, producing a wide variety of films and TV shows. His first ever role was an uncredited part as a man carrying a barrel in an episode of the TV show Centinnel in 1978, but it was the 1990s and early 2000s when he saw his biggest career boom. He has recently made his Broadway debut in the stage version of Good Night and Good Luck.

Speaking on 60 Minutes (via Variety), Clooney addresses whether he would still be interested in making rom-coms. The actor was realistic with himself, noting that he is now 63 years old. As a result, he does not want to “compete with 25-year-old leading men.” He then stated plainly “I’m not doing romantic films anymore.” Check out the full quote from Clooney below:

“Look, I’m 63 years old. I’m not trying to compete with 25-year-old leading men. That’s not my job. I’m not doing romantic films anymore.”

What This Means For George Clooney

Clooney Made His Most Recent Romance Film In 2022

Though he was not even 25 years old at that time either, the 2000s were a formative time in Clooney’s career. In this era, he was in several romantic movies, including Intolerable Cruelty. These movies were critical in shaping the star-powered persona that is Clooney, making him out to be a suave and polished romantic lead. The actor was in a rom-com as recently as 2022, when he acted alongside Julia Roberts in Ticket to Paradise.

Not making anymore rom-coms or romance movies in general is a deliberate choice in Clooney’s career. It will force the actor to take on roles that more conventionally fit his age range, but does not mean that Clooney will stop genre filmmaking entirely. After all, his most recent feature film was the crime thriller Wolfs in 2024, which saw him playing an action lead alongside Brad Pitt. In some ways, the action genre is populated by younger people as well, but its leads skew older than romance film leads on average, making them more apt for the 63-year-old.

Our Take On Clooney’s Romance Film Decision

He Has Some Potential Replacements

While there is no 20-something-year-old actor to point to that yet has the same star power as Clooney, one of the rising stars in the genre is Nicholas Galitzine. Now 30 years old, the actor has been in several romantic films in the last couple of years, including Purple Hearts, The Idea of You, and Red, White & Royal Blue. Clooney stepping down from romantic movies does not mean romance movies about older people will not get made, but the actor is right that there is an avenue for the younger generation to create its new genre stars.

Source: 60 Minutes (via Variety)