George Clooney gained prominence in the industry since his days in the NBC medical drama ER, where he played the character of Dr. Doug Ross. He had been trying his luck for longer, but the hit show brought the name and fame to his doorsteps. After the show, he successfully transitioned to movies and gave hits after hit, with the Oceans trilogy being one of his most successful ventures.
Now, in his 60s, the actor is focusing more on the behind the scenes aspect of filmmaking rather than being in front of the camera. Clooney made his directorial debut in the year 2002, with the movie Concessions of a Dangerous Mind starring Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts, Sam Rockwell, and Clooney himself. The film went on to receive modest reviews, both from the critics as well as the audiences. Since then, he has added a few more movies on his directorial bag and been fairly successful in his venture.
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George Clooney on Favoring Directing More Than Acting
George Clooney recently released his directorial feature, The Boys in the Boat, starring Callum Turner and Joel Edgerton, among others. Talking about his directorial approach, in a conversation with Sky News, the actor said,
“It’s more fun, you have a lot more control. I get to boss [the actors] around and I don’t have to learn how to row. I still like acting. I have fun.”
Clooney further added that becoming enclosed in just profession becomes boring, and he likes to have fun with his work.
“As you get older, you need to have other things to do. You can’t just do one thing. I’m lucky because I’m 62, and I get to do the stuff I love, and a lot of people don’t get that.”
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Can George Clooney’s Directorial Expertise Revive His Once Successful Franchise?
The Ocean’s franchise found success in the lead of George Clooney, accompanied by the likes of Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and a host of other actors. Now there’s a buzz of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling pairing up once again, after the success of Barbie, for a prequel to Ocean’s Eleven, set in the 1960s. But that is not all.
Clooney also mentioned that there is a script for another Ocean’s sequel but won’t call it Ocean’s Fourteen.
“We have a really good script for another ‘Ocean’s’ now, so we may end up doing another one. It’s actually a great script.”
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Franchise director Steven Soderbergh, though, told Variety that he has no interest in taking up another Ocean’s movie after the conclusion of the franchise.
“After we made the third movie, I felt like the series was very much concluded for me. When the studio approached me to see if I’d be involved in continuing the franchise, I told them no, because it just doesn’t feel like a move forward for me. I’m chasing something else.”
Maybe, given Clooney’s directorial expertise over the years, he himself can take up the job if another Ocean’s sequel does end up in the works.
The Oceans trilogy is available for renting on Apple TV.
