George Clooney has reignited his long-standing feud with director David O. Russell, vowing never to work with him again due to the filmmaker's alleged behavior on set. In a joint profile with Brad Pitt in GQ, Clooney opened up about his experience working on the 1999 film "Three Kings," describing Russell as a "miserable f***" who made life difficult for the entire crew.
The Oscar-winning actor and director reflected on the importance of time allocation as he gets older, stating, "The older you get, time allotment is very different. Five months out of your life is a lot." Clooney then used this as a segue to discuss his experience with Russell, saying, "So it's not just like, 'Oh, I'm going to go do a really good film, like 'Three Kings,' and I'm going to have a miserable f*** like David O. Russell making my life hell. Making every person in the crew's life hell."
This is not the first time Clooney has spoken out about his tumultuous relationship with Russell. According to GQ, Clooney initially fought to star in "Three Kings" but quickly changed his opinion of the director. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly during filming, Clooney described Russell as "a weirdo, and he's hard to talk to," though he tempered his remarks by acknowledging the director's unique writing style.
However, Clooney's criticism intensified in subsequent years. The Washington Post reported that Clooney claimed to have witnessed Russell assault an extra who was nervous about performing a stunt. When Clooney intervened, Russell allegedly head-butted him and grabbed him by the throat.
Russell's reputation for aggressive behavior on set has persisted over the years. The New York Times reported on an incident in 2003 where Russell allegedly put director Christopher Nolan in a headlock at a party, attempting to force Nolan to release Jude Law from a contract for a role in Russell's film "I Heart Huckabees."
The controversy surrounding Russell's on-set behavior gained further traction when a video of him berating actress Lily Tomlin during the filming of "I Heart Huckabees" surfaced. In 2007, Clooney admitted to feeling "vindicated" by this evidence, which he believed supported his own claims about Russell's conduct.
Despite a brief reconciliation attempt in 2012, when Clooney approached Russell at a party to ask, "So are we done?", the actor's recent comments suggest the rift remains unresolved. Clooney told GQ, "It's not worth it. Not at this point in my life. Just to have a good product."
The actor's candid remarks extend beyond his issues with Russell. Clooney also addressed recent comments made by his former "From Dusk Till Dawn" co-star Quentin Tarantino about his career, claiming "he is not a movie star": "Quentin said some s*** about me recently, so I'm a little irritated by him… I'm like, all right, dude, f*** off."
