George Clooney Says He’d Be ‘Honored’ to Work With Paul Dano, Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard After Quentin Tarantino Insults: ‘We Are Living in a Time of Cruelty’
A month after Quentin Tarantino made headlines for slamming actors Paul Dano, Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard, George Clooney is making it known where he stands.
“By the way, Paul Dano and Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard, I would be honored to work with those actors. Honored,” Clooney said while accepting his best actor award for “Jay Kelly” at AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards on Saturday. He described “Jay Kelly” as being “made by people who love actors — that’s an important part. People I’ve known most of my life… actually, most of them are actors. I have a great affinity [for them], and I don’t enjoy watching people be cruel.”
“We are living in a time of cruelty,” the star continued. “We don’t need to be adding to it.”
In December 2025, Tarantino made headlines for a range of claims against Dano, Wilson and Lillard. The “Pulp Fiction” director called Dano “the weakest fucking actor in SAG,” said he “can’t stand” Wilson and stated that he doesn’t care for Lillard. Back in 2024, the director also fired a shot at Clooney, claiming the Oscar-winning actor wasn’t a movie star. The two previously starred in the 1996 Rober Rodriquez film “From Dusk Till Dawn” together.
“Quentin said some shit about me recently, so I’m a little irritated by him,” Clooney told GQ. “He did some interview where he was naming movie stars, and he was talking about [Brad], and somebody else, and then this guy goes, ‘Well, what about George?’ He goes, he’s not a movie star.”
In the same interview, Clooney added that it was a “great time as a young actor,” a statement he likely stands by today; at the Movies for Grownups Awards, the actor joked that “the only way I was going to win anything is that Timothée Chalamet is too goddamn young.”
While accepting his award, Clooney expressed his gratitude for getting to work with director Noah Baumbach on “Jay Kelly.” “The script is beautiful,” he said. “I couldn’t believe my luck that I got to play the part.” He also noted that he “couldn’t believe the luck” that he got to reunite with Laura Derns, whom he previously worked with on “Grizzly II: Revenge,” his first movie. “It’s going to be a long, tough couple of years, but we’ll all get through it together,” he concluded.
Clooney’s former “ER” co-star Noah Wyle presented the actor with his award. Clooney returned the favor when Wyle won his best actor award for “The Pitt,” and joked that AARP should do a “sexiest man still alive” issue. “I would nominate Noah Wyle as the first guy,” Clooney said. “When I grow up, I want to be Noah Wyle.”
Celebrating entertainment by and for people ages 50 and up, the annual AARP Movies for Grownups Awards will premiere on “Great Performances” on PBS on Feb. 22. See the full list of winners here.
