“George Clooney Praises Biden for Selflessness in Withdrawing from 2024 Race”

“George Clooney Praises Biden for Selflessness in Withdrawing from 2024 Race”

George Clooney has commented for the first time on his New York Times op-ed urging President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.

At the Venice press conference for his new film “Wolfs,” Clooney addressed questions about his op-ed. “I’ve actually never had to answer that question, so I suppose I will do it here,” he said.

“The person who should be applauded is the president, who has done the most selfless thing a president has done since George Washington,” Clooney stated. “What should be remembered is the selfless act of someone who, it’s very hard to let go of power — we know that, we’ve seen it all over the world — and for someone to say, ‘I think there’s a better path forward,’ all the credit goes to him. And that’s really the truth … I’m just very proud of where we are in the state of the world right now.”

When asked about Apple’s decision to move the film from a wide theatrical release to a limited one, Clooney also commented on a recent New York Times report by Nicole Sterling, which claimed he and Brad Pitt were paid more than $35 million each.

“It was millions and millions of dollars less than what was reported,” he said. “I think it’s bad for our industry to have that be the standard.”

Discussing the release change, he added: “We’re figuring this out, and so there are some bumps along the way. It’s a bummer, of course it’s a bummer, but a lot of people are going to see the film.”

Written and directed by “Spider-Man” helmer Jon Watts, the Apple Original Films action-comedy “Wolfs” stars Pitt and Clooney as two professional fixers who must team up after being hired for the same job. The film also features Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, and Poorna Jagannathan. A sequel to “Wolfs” is already in development, with Watts and the two stars attached, Apple announced earlier this month.

“Wolfs” marks Pitt and Clooney’s first co-headlining film since the Coen Brothers’ 2008 black comedy “Burn After Reading.” They previously starred together in the “Ocean’s” franchise from 2001 to 2007. Both actors have attended the Venice Film Festival before: Clooney in 2009 for Grant Heslov’s “The Men Who Stare at Goats” and Pitt in 1999 for David Fincher’s “Fight Club” and in 2007 for Andrew Dominik’s “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” “Wolfs” is Watts’ first film debut at Venice.

After its Venice premiere, “Wolfs” will be released in theaters for a limited time starting Sept. 20 before debuting on Apple TV+ on Sept. 27.