George Clooney, one of Hollywood’s most famous leading men, is officially retiring from a classic movie trope of kissing girls. The actor reveals his decision stems from a combination of age and, most importantly, respect for his marriage to human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.
George Clooney will not be kissing female co-stars on screen
George Clooney shared that he has decided to stop “kissing girls” on screen after reflecting on his life and career with Amal. He explained that the decision came after he turned 60 and began reassessing what made sense for him as an actor moving forward. “I’ve been trying to go the route Paul Newman did — ‘Okay, well, I’m not kissing a girl anymore,’” Clooney told Daily Mail.
He elaborated on the thought process behind that choice, referencing a discussion with his wife. “When I turned 60, I had a conversation with my wife. I said, ‘Look, I can still play basketball with the boys. I play with 25-year-old guys. I can still hang, I’m in shape. But in 25 years, I’m 85 years old. It doesn’t matter how many granola bars you eat, that’s a real number,’” he added.
This decision is a major shift for an actor whose filmography is studded with iconic romantic comedies like One Fine Day, Intolerable Cruelty, and the recent hit Ticket to Paradise with longtime friend Julia Roberts. The practical application of this new rule means fans likely won’t see Clooney lock lips in future roles. It’s a conscious choice that prioritizes his home life.
Interestingly, his last major on-screen kiss, with Julia Roberts in Ticket to Paradise, became a topic of amusement for the couple. While promoting the film in 2022, Clooney told The New York Times that it took dozens of attempts to film their one kissing scene, mostly because they couldn’t stop laughing. “I told my wife, ‘It took 80 takes,'” he said. “She was like, ‘What the hell?'” Roberts clarified the humorous situation: “It took 79 takes of us laughing and then the one take of us kissing.”
