George Clooney has reportedly dropped out of several events at the Venice Film Festival due to illness.
The 64-year-old Ocean’s Eleven star is on the Lido to promote his competition film Jay Kelly from Noah Baumbach.
However, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Clooney started to feel unwell Wednesday and was advised to go home and rest up. He had been due to attend a press junket, a dinner with the film’s cast, and the official press conference for the Netflix title.
On Thursday, representatives for Clooney told Variety: “George has been diagnosed with a sinus infection and is under doctors orders to cut back all activities today.”
“Even movie stars get sick!” Baumbach joked at the start of the press conference.
In Jay Kelly, Clooney plays an aging movie star on a trip through Europe with his longtime manager, portrayed by Adam Sandler. The film also stars Laura Dern, Isla Fisher, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, Stacy Keach, Riley Keough, Patrick Wilson, Jim Broadbent, Eve Hewson, Lenny Henry and Ruby Stokes.
Prior to the film’s premiere, Clooney spoke out about the roles he’s taken on in his career, hitting back at critics who questioned his versatility as an actor.
Clooney was subject to criticism from American attorney Hunter Biden, who took aim at the Good Night and Good Luck star’s acting talents and suggested he merely played himself when taking on roles.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Clooney was asked about the comments made by Biden — the son of former president Joe. In response, the Gravity star said: “Do people say that I only play myself? I don’t give a s***.”
He continued: “There aren’t that many guys in my age group that are allowed to do both broad comedies like O Brother, Where Art Thou? and then do Michael Clayton or Syriana. So if that means I’m playing myself all the time, I don’t give a s***.”
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Clooney, who won an Oscar for his role in Syriana, then quoted the character he plays in Jay Kelly: “Have you ever tried playing yourself? It’s hard to do.”
He further explained that he benefitted from not experiencing success in his career until starring in his first big hit, the TV drama ER, by which point he’d already been acting for 12 years.
“I’ve been the beneficiary of having my career not be massively successful in lots of different directions,” he said.
“I didn’t really get successful, in the kind of success that can be blinding, until I was 33 years old. I’d been working for 12 years at that point. I had a real understanding of how fleeting all of it is and how little it has to do with you, quite honestly.”
Jay Kelly will be released December 5 on Netflix.
