George Clooney Defends Adam Sandler, Says ‘Don’t Talk to Him Like He’s Just Some Goofy Comedian’

While on a press tour for his next movie, George Clooney got candid about his feelings on Adam Sandler.

In the upcoming drama Jay Kelly, Sandler stars as the “wheeling-and-dealing heartbeat” of the film alongside Clooney’s protagonist. Clooney plays an older movie star, and Sandler plays his manager.

Clooney spoke to Vanity Fair about what a great actor Sandler is, and how he should be known for more than just his comedy roles.

“This film, more than any film Adam has done, shows what a beautiful, heartfelt, soulful actor he is—I kept telling the cast, ‘Don’t call him Sand Man. Don’t talk to him like he’s just some goofy comedian. He’s actually a really beautiful, wonderful actor,’” Clooney said. “Because of what his paycheck is, which is doing big goofy comedies, when he does these other, beautiful, Uncut Gems kinds of movies, it reminds people of that. He’s not just a good comedian.”

Jay Kelly, the new Netflix drama from Marriage Story director Noah Baumbach, revolves around an aging movie star undergoing a personal crisis that his career is ending after his entire life has been filled with overwhelming success, relentless fame, and criticisms that he only plays himself in movies. It’s a cheeky role for Clooney, whose life has been, well, exactly the same as his character’s.

“Do people say that I only play myself? I don’t give a s–t,” Clooney said. “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–t.”

He then reminded the interviewer of a quote from the movie: “Have you ever tried playing yourself? It’s hard to do.”