Jay Kelly turned personal on screen, catching the Hollywood star off guard when one of his own clips was used in the film.
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LOS ANGELES — What felt like a scripted moment on paper in the comedy-drama Jay Kelly turned personal on screen, catching the Hollywood star off guard when one of his own clips was used in the film.
Discussing a scene in which his character receives a lifetime achievement award in a packed theater after watching a reel of his onscreen career, Clooney said he “was surprised” by film’s co-writer-director Noah Baumbach using clips from Clooney’s own filmography, reports deadline.com.
“Oh, it was a surprise all right. I was surprised,” said Clooney on Entertainment Weekly‘s Around the Table, as co-star Adam Sandler added, “We were both surprised. We felt things that we didn’t expect to feel.”
Clooney added, “We held hands. No, I didn’t know he was going to use sort of clips from my own actual career, which was a surprise. And you get to look at a lot of bad haircuts over the… mullets.
“Don’t you laugh,” he quipped to Sandler. “You had a mullet.”
Jay Kelly is a 2025 comedy-drama film, It also stars Laura Dern, and Billy Crudup.
The film follows a famous actor (Clooney) as he travels through Europe with his team and manager (Sandler), and reflects on his life choices, relationships, and legacy.
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 28, 2025. It was then released in select theaters on November 14, 2025, followed by a global release on Netflix on December 5.
Both Clooney and Sandler received acting nominations at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards for their performances in the film.
In other news, Clooney on December 15 had shared that after having a discussion with his wife, Amal Clooney, about his age, he will no longer be “kissing girls” in movies.
“I’ve been trying to go the route Paul Newman did — ‘Okay, well, I’m not kissing a girl anymore,’” Clooney, 64, had told Daily Mail, reports
He added: “When I turned 60, I had a conversation with my wife. I said, ‘Look, I can still play basketball with the boys. I play with 25-year-old guys. I can still hang, I’m in shape. But in 25 years, I’m 85 years old. It doesn’t matter how many granola bars you eat, that’s a real number.'”