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Modern studios killed the bankable movie star, according to George Clooney
Ocean's Eleven and Michael Clayton star George Clooney believes he's part of "the last generation" of stars that studios invested in
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George Clooney knows he is a member of a dying breed. That species, to get specific, is the classic Hollywood movie star, the kind who would bring in droves of audience members just by being the first name that comes up in a film's credits. And even more than the knowledge of that ever-nearing extinction, Clooney knows the cause for the change.
It was one of the topics that came up in a recent interview Clooney did with Variety, one in which (not-so-coincidentally), Clooney promoted his new film Jay Kelly, in which the Ocean's Eleven actor plays a Hollywood A-lister in his "post-marquee" days. The film also stars Adam Sandler and the iconic Laura Dern, but as Clooney tells it, the movie's success won't be because their names are on the poster, as it might've been in times gone by.
"The thing where you put someone’s name above the title and you go see a movie because they’re in it has ended,” Clooney opined. “And I’m part of the last generation of stars who were a beneficiary of a studio really investing in them. When I was on ER, Bob Daly and Terry Semel, who were running Warner Bros. at the time, brought me in and gave me a five-picture deal. Because their company had produced my show, they wanted to be in business with me for the long haul."
So why aren't studios investing in a new generation of names to put on posters? Clooney thinks it has something to do with the fact that, in an age of TikTok and Instagram reels, just about anybody can become momentarily famous overnight. And while the Michael Clayton star still thinks there are some brilliant folks working today - he names Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, and Glen Powell in particular - he knows that they won't be getting the same treatment he did.
Unless, of course, Warner Bros. has a surprise contract waiting fro Hawk Tuah Girl.
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