George Clooney’s resume is filled with classics as far back as the 1970s.
While his big break came years later with his role as George Burnett in “The Facts of Life,” Clooney refuses to go back and rewatch his early work.
Why Clooney Doesn’t Watch His Old Work
The “Ocean’s Eleven” actor opened up about aging in Hollywood and why it’s “weird” watching himself as a young man.
“As you get older, it’s hard to watch movies when you were younger because you’re like, ‘Holy [expletive], that doesn’t even look like me anymore,'” Clooney told People at the 51st Chaplin Award gala at Alice Tully Hall in New York City on Monday, April 27.
The “Jay Kelly” actor told the outlet that he recently watched the 2009 Wes Anderson film, “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” in which he voiced the titular character, with his children.
“So I was watching ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’, which is a little easier because it’s not really me, it’s just my voice,” he explained. “That’s kind of fun because the kids are slowly figuring out what I do for a living, you know? But the rest of it … Listen, it’s hard because I tend to not want to look back, but now that I’m gonna be 65 in a week, looking forward’s a lot shorter view, you know what I mean? So maybe I’ll look back later, you know.”
Clooney — who shares 8-year-old twins Ella and Alexander with wife Amal Clooney — was honored with an award which “recognizes an individual’s significant contributions to the art of cinema” at Monday’s event.
Is George Clooney Retiring?
GettyAfter rumors began circulating that the “E.R.” star was preparing to retire ahead of his 65th birthday, Clooney nipped them in the bud.
“If you give up working, you lose your place in society,” he said during a December 2025 interview with USA Today. “There’s going to be parts for ‘Grandpa gums bread,’ and I’ll be the perfect guy for it. That’s a good thing about the profession that I’ve chosen.”
Clooney is passionate about remaining active, crediting his father, Nick Clooney — an American journalist and television host — for the inspiration.
“My dad’s [almost] 92, and he still writes. It’s important to stay active,” he told USA Today. “I mean, you’re a writer. I can’t imagine you saying, ‘Well, now that I’m 70, maybe I shouldn’t write anymore.’ I do feel like, because it’s creative, you can stay involved and do what you want to do.”
He went on to reflect on the important things in life outside of his career, mainly spending time with his family.
“We also have to make sure we are spending time doing things with our family, with the people we love more,” he said. “Because Amal and I both tend to focus on trying to accomplish things. We’ve gotten much better at spending time with our kids. Listen, nobody gets it right. I don’t get it right. You probably don’t get it right. But we do the best we can.”
Clooney, who turns 65 on May 6, has two projects on the horizon: “Ocean’s 14,” and “Dix Pour Cent.”


