George Clooney Says He’d Be ‘Honored’ to Work With Paul Dano, Owen Wilson and Matthew Lillard After Quentin Tarantino Insults

A month after Quentin Tarantino criticized actors Paul Dano, Owen Wilson, and Matthew Lillard, George Clooney shared his views. “I would be honored to work with those actors,” Clooney said while accepting his best actor award for “Jay Kelly” at AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards. He emphasized the importance of kindness, stating, “We are living in a time of cruelty. We don’t need to be adding to it.”

In December 2025, Tarantino made headlines by calling Dano “the weakest fucking actor in SAG,” expressing disdain for Wilson, and dismissing Lillard. He also criticized Clooney, claiming he wasn’t a movie star. Clooney, who starred with Tarantino in “From Dusk Till Dawn,” expressed irritation about these comments in a GQ interview.

At the awards, Clooney expressed gratitude for working with director Noah Baumbach on “Jay Kelly,” calling the script “beautiful.” He also appreciated reuniting with Laura Derns from his first movie, “Grizzly II: Revenge.” Clooney’s former “ER” co-star Noah Wyle presented him with the award, and Clooney humorously suggested AARP should feature a “sexiest man still alive” issue, nominating Wyle.