George Clooney has triggered fresh concern about his health after openly admitting that remembering his lines no longer comes naturally to him. His candid confession has left friends and industry insiders wondering if age is finally catching up with one of Hollywood’s most reliable stars.
As per an exclusive report by RadarOnline, Clooney’s worries surfaced during promotions for his new Netflix film Jay Kelly, where he plays an aging, world-weary screen icon.
‘People are concerned’
Clooney, 64, learned after filming that director Noah Baumbach had surprised him by adding clips from his past work. That montage forced him to face his younger self on screen from his 1980s mullet days on The Facts of Life to his breakout years on ER.
Also Read | Did Grey’s Anatomy just hint at Jo Wilson’s exit? Episode 6 leaves fans stunned
RadarOnline notes that the reminder of his youth, paired with his admission about struggling with memory, has stirred quiet conversations within the industry.
A source told RadarOnline:
“People are concerned because he's talking more openly about forgetting lines. It raises questions about whether this is just aging – or something more serious. They are saying dementia is one of George's biggest fears as he has always prided himself on looking smart and being one of the smartest people in the room.”
Clooney himself said of Baumbach’s surprise montage:
“It was really fascinating, because you go through all the things we all go through, which is you watch yourself age, which you have to make peace with. You also look at some f------ horrible mullets… And you do get this thing of, ‘God, that was just yesterday, wasn't it?’”
Another longtime colleague told RadarOnline,
“He's always been razor-sharp, but he's been talking on set about how fast things slip away now. It scared people. Nobody wants to think of George Clooney aging like the rest of us.”
Remembering the worst reviews of his life
Before becoming a box-office star, Clooney was a struggling actor, picking up odd jobs and chasing auditions. He still remembers those early years fondly, even the messy ones.
One of those chaotic experiences was the 1983 horror film Grizzly II: Revenge, where Clooney, Laura Dern, and Charlie Sheen were stranded in Hungary after the film’s funding collapsed.
Clooney recalled:
“It was funded by these Hungarians. And then they lost the money. And so we got stuck there for, like, two months… and literally, we get eaten by a bear in the first scene.”
The to his horror, the film again resurfaced in 2020. “Some schmuck finds it and… after 40 years, I'm getting the worst reviews of my life.”
Also Read | Jon Voight’s life beyond the spotlight: Here's the family footprints of James Haven and Angelina Jolie
RadarOnline adds that even as Clooney moves between Kentucky and England with wife Amal and their eight-year-old twins, doubts continue to haunt him.
While performing Good Night, and Good Luck on Broadway earlier this year, he once again confronted his memory struggles.
“I hadn't done a play in 40 years. And so I was nervous… It's hard to remember your lines. And it's hard to remember s---. And so I was scared.”
