Hollywood used to be a place where old friends stood together. But in the case of George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino, it’s turned into a long, slow burn of a feud. They were co-stars once, back in From Dusk Till Dawn, when both men were still figuring out who they were in the industry. But something went sour, and years later, that simmering resentment is now front and center again. What really happened between them on that set? Was it ego, creative tension, or just two Hollywood heavyweights who could never share the stage for long?
The spark was lit in 2019 when Tarantino took a swipe at Clooney, claiming he wasn’t “a true movie star.” Those six words hit Hollywood like a thunderclap. For Clooney, who had built his career on charm and an image of timeless cool, it was a red flag. He shot back later, saying he was “a little irritated” by Tarantino’s digs. Then came the gloves-off punchline: “All right, dude, f— off. I don’t mind giving him s***. He gave me s***.” That line told the world what insiders already suspected, this feud was personal.
Fast forward to this January, and Tarantino’s back in the headlines again, this time belittling actors like Paul Dano, Owen Wilson, and Matthew Lillard. And just as predictably, Clooney used the moment to remind everyone whose side he’s on. While accepting an award at AARP’s “Movies for Grownups” event, he slipped in a jab that was as subtle as a hammer. “By the way, Paul Dano and Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard, I would be honored to work with those actors. Honored,” he said, stressing that Jay Kelly, his recent project, was “made by people who love actors.” No one asked him about Tarantino, but Clooney couldn’t resist. It wasn’t a coincidence. It was a shot across the bow.
This wasn’t the first time Tarantino publicly questioned Clooney’s staying power. In 2019, the director asked, “It’s been a long while since George Clooney has drawn anybody to an audience. When was his last hit where he drew an audience?” Clooney fired back years later in a 2024 GQ interview: “Quentin said some shit about me recently, so I’m a little irritated by him. He did some interview where he was naming movie stars, and he was talking about [Brad] Pitt, and somebody else, and then this guy goes, ‘What about George?’ He goes, he’s not a movie star. And then he literally said something like, ‘Name me a movie since the millennium.’ And I was like, ‘Since the millennium? That’s kind of my whole fucking career.’” Then came the kicker again: “All right, dude, fuck off.”
Tarantino’s critique wasn’t entirely without support. The Telegraph’s Tim Robey backed him, writing that Clooney’s last twenty years “have not done a great deal to sustain the stardom.” Hard words, but numbers don’t lie. Clooney’s last big hits were Ocean’s Eleven, Gravity, and The Perfect Storm. The rest? Modest at best. His most recent leading turn, Ticket to Paradise, landed softly, described by critics as “bland” and “forgettable.” Instead of chasing hits, Clooney’s been behind the camera, directing films like Suburbicon, The Tender Bar, and The Boys in the Boat. That’s not failure, but it’s not superstardom either.
Maybe that’s what’s really behind the feud; two men whose glory days are behind them, fighting over who gets to keep the crown. Or maybe it’s pride. Clooney has made hundreds of millions from his tequila brand and now lives in France with his wife Amal. He even secured French citizenship. For a guy who once mocked the idea of a President Donald Trump before the 2016 election, it’s a fitting twist. He’s chosen to live somewhere else, perhaps because it’s easier to sneer at Middle America from across the ocean.
In the end, what’s this all really about? Maybe it’s about how modern Hollywood eats its own, where old allies turn critics and the audience watches the downfall play out like it’s another streaming show. Whatever the case, the Clooney-Tarantino spat is more than gossip. It’s a peek at how some of its tin stars can’t handle not being adored anymore.
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English (US) · 