VENICE, Italy (AP) 鈥� and Brad Pitt returned to the for the world premiere of 鈥淲olfs.鈥�
Before hitting the red carpet, the Hollywood stars reflected on reuniting, the rise of streaming and Clooney鈥檚 urging President Joe Biden to end his reelection bid.
Asked about the impact of his piece, Clooney said he鈥檇 not yet had to answer that question.
鈥淭he person who should be applauded is the president who did the most selfless thing anyone鈥檚 done since George Washington,鈥� Clooney said. 鈥淎ll the machinations that got us there, none of that鈥檚 going to be remembered. And it shouldn鈥檛 be. What should be remembered is the selfless act.鈥�
Clooney continued: 鈥淚t鈥檚 very hard to let go of power. We know that. We鈥檝e seen that all around the world. For someone to say, I think there鈥檚 a better way forward? All credit goes to him.鈥�
Most of the discussion was focused on the film, however, an old school action thriller directed by Jon Watts, in which they play lone wolf fixers unhappy to have been hired for the same job to cover up a bloody mess involving a district attorney (played by Amy Ryan).
The film will have a limited theatrical release, starting Sept. 20, before hitting Apple TV+ on Sept. 27. Apple TV+ acquired 鈥淲olfs鈥� in a competitive bidding war, beating out both traditional studios and rival streaming services.
Deadline reported in 2021 that the understanding was that it would come with a robust theatrical release, something the stars may have also forfeited money to ensure, the trade publication said. Then, several weeks ago the streamer announced different plans: Theatrical would be limited. Streaming would be quick.
Clooney confirmed that they did forfeit some of their salaries to guarantee a theatrical release and that it鈥檚 a 鈥渂ummer鈥� that it won鈥檛 be wider than a few hundred theaters.
鈥淲e would have liked it, we wanted it. That鈥檚 why Brad and I gave some of our money back,鈥� he said, adding that a report in the New York Times overestimated the dollar amount of their salaries by millions.
Far from being anti-streaming, however, Clooney said that everyone is simply finding their way during this revolution. There are bumps and mistakes, but there鈥檚 also much more opportunities for actors, he said.
鈥淪treaming, we need it, our industry needs it,鈥� Clooney said. 鈥淭hey also benefit from having films released 鈥� and we鈥檙e figuring it out, we haven鈥檛 gotten it figured out yet.鈥�
Producer and Plan B executive Jeremy Kliner, who has worked with Pitt for over 20 years, said that they make films believing in their shelf lives, and that they鈥檙e doing something worthwhile.
Pitt added: 鈥淚 think we鈥檒l always be romantic about the theatrical experience but at the same time I love the existence of streamers 鈥� it鈥檚 a delicate balance. It鈥檒l right itself.鈥�
Though both regulars at the picturesque festival on their own, with Clooney鈥檚 premieres including 鈥淕ravity鈥� and 鈥淕ood Night and Good Luck,鈥� and 鈥淎d Astra鈥� and 鈥淭he Assassination of Jesse James鈥︹�� among Pitt鈥檚, only once have they walked the carpet together. No, it wasn鈥檛 for an Ocean鈥檚 film. It was in 2008, for the premiere of 鈥淏urn After Reading,鈥� the madcap Coen brothers鈥� farce in which they share one memorable scene.
鈥淚n 鈥楤urn After Reading鈥� I got the extreme pleasure of shooting him in the face and I thought maybe we鈥檇 try it again 15 years later,鈥� Clooney said with a laugh.
The two teased one another about each other鈥檚 age and relevance, with Clooney joking that Pitt is 74 and lucky to be working at his age. (Clooney, for the record, is 63. Pitt is 60.)
Pitt was waiting for a good idea to reunite with Clooney on screen and thought the idea of two cleaners who think they鈥檙e the best sounded fun. Their years of working together made their banter, and overlapping dialogue, natural to do.
鈥淎s I get older, just working with the people that I just really enjoy spending time with has become really important to me,鈥� Pitt said.
When they got the script, they said Watts hadn鈥檛 specified who was playing which part so Pitt and Clooney got on the phone and figured it out for themselves.
Pitt arrived at the festival just days apart from his ex, , who received praise for her turn as opera singer Maria Callas in Pablo Larra铆n鈥檚 鈥淢aria鈥� and left Italy for another festival soon after.
Pitt and Jolie had been romantic partners for a decade when they married in 2014. Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, and a judge declared them single in 2019, but the divorce case has not been finalized with custody and financial issues still in dispute. , a Los Angeles court granted a petition from the third-eldest child of the former couple to legally change her name from Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie.
The film鈥檚 director, who catapulted from indies to the Tom Holland Spider-Man films, said in a director鈥檚 statement that this film is him trying to get back to street level after 鈥渟even years of swinging from skyscrapers and jumping through multiverse portals.鈥� He was unable to speak about the film with his stars after testing positive for COVID-19.
鈥淗e flew all the way here and then he got COVID,鈥� Clooney said. 鈥淪o now we鈥檙e all going to get it.鈥�
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For more coverage of the 2024 Venice Film Festival, visit
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
