George Clooney says he’s done with on-screen romance: ‘I’m not competing with 25-year-old leading men…’ | Hollywood News

George Clooney is officially closing the chapter on on-screen romance. After delivering a decent global box office hit with Julia Roberts in 2022’s Ticket to Paradise, the 63-year-old Hollywood icon says that was his final romantic film, and he has no plans to return to the genre.
“That’s not my job anymore,” Clooney admitted while promoting his latest project, a Broadway adaptation of Good Night, and Good Luck. During his 60 Minutes interview, the Roseanne star acknowledged that the early 2000s, when he was often crowned “Sexiest Man Alive” was a major high point in his career. But as he put it, that era is behind him now.
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George Clooney on why he won’t do romantic films anymore
“Look, I’m 63 years old,” Clooney said, according to Variety, making it clear he has no interest in “competing with 25-year-old leading men.” He added, “That’s not my job. I’m not doing romantic films anymore.”
Over the years, George Clooney starred in several romantic films, from One Fine Day (1996) with Michelle Pfeiffer to Intolerable Cruelty (2003) with Catherine Zeta-Jones. His 2022 hit, Ticket to Paradise alongside his longtime friend Julia Roberts, was a rare return to the romance genre. 
At the peak of his stardom in the 2000s, Clooney was one of Hollywood’s highest-earning actors. His big break came with ER, the American medical drama that ran from 1994 to 2000, where his role as Dr. Doug Ross earned him multiple Golden Globe and Emmy nominations. Over the years, his films have grossed over $2.6 billion worldwide, averaging $61.7 million per film. According to his filmography, 13 of his movies have surpassed $200 million at the global box office.
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Interestingly, Julia Roberts had also stepped away from romance films for two decades, telling The New York Times that she kept turning them down due to weak scripts. “It’s not that I didn’t want to do one,” she explained. “If something had come along with the charm of Notting Hill or the fun of My Best Friend’s Wedding, I would’ve jumped at it. But nothing like that exed—until Ol Parker’s script came my way.”
George Clooney’s Broadway debut
In 2024, it was announced that George Clooney would make his Broadway debut in Good Night, and Good Luck, a stage adaptation of his own Oscar-nominated 2005 film. While Clooney co-wrote and directed the original movie, he gave himself a supporting character role, playing producer Fred W. Friendly rather than the lead. But this time, he’s stepping into the spotlight as legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow. Joining him on stage is a star-studded cast, including Broad City’s Ilana Glazer, Zero Day’s Clark Gregg, and Barry actor Glenn Fleshler.
Speaking on why he felt the need to switch roles, Clooney told 60 Minutes, “I don’t know that I could’ve [done this before]. I wasn’t — I didn’t do the work required to get there,” he said. “I mean, there isn’t a single actor alive that wouldn’t have loved to have, you know, been on Broadway. So that’s — that’s the fun of it.”