These days, George Clooney finds himself often thinking about how modern movie stars are made. “Speaking as an older guy now, it’s interesting how much more difficult it is than it was back in the day,” the 65-year-old Oscar winner says. He has some theories as to why: the changing shape of the roles, the loss of the security studios used to offer younger talent, the land mine that is social media. “It’s just harder,” he concedes. “Talk to any big-time producer or big-time director: They’re constantly going, ‘Who’s a leading man now? Who’s the one?’ “
To those asking, good news: Clooney has a name for you. Boasting everyman appeal and impossibly broad shoulders, Callum Turner played the lead in Clooney’s 2023 historical drama film, The Boys in the Boat — and in the years since, the director has only felt more convinced that Turner’s got it. “He hasn’t just gone for the easy paychecks — he’s done really interesting work,” Clooney says. “Somehow Callum has weaved his way through all of the noise and found a place where people look at him and go, ‘There’s something with this young man.’ It’s exciting to watch people saying, ‘That guy — that’s a guy I want to follow and pay attention to.’ “
