George Clooney.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Los Angeles: Hollywood star George Clooney has vehemently ruled out a future collaboration with David O Russell, the director of his 1999 hit Three Kings.
In a joint interview with frequent collaborator and friend Brad Pitt for GQ Magazine, the two stars discussed their ideal working environment in terms of colleagues.
"The older you get, time allotment is very different. Five months out of your life is a lot," Clooney said.
The 63-year-old actor then talked about how he would not collaborate with Russell, even if it means letting go of an opportunity to make a "really good film".
“And 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. It’s not worth it. Not at this point in my life. Just to have a good product," Clooney said.
The black comedy war film had faced significant controversy due to the tumultuous relationship between director Russell and Clooney, with their on-set clashes making headlines and overshadowing its release.
It was also reported in American media that the director allegedly got physical with an extra on set, leading to an intervention by Clooney.
Also starring Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube and Spike Jonze, Three Kings was about four American soldiers who pull off a gold heist during the 1991 uprisings in Iraq against Saddam Hussein, following the end of the First Gulf War.
Besides "Three Kings", Russell is also known for directing critically-acclaimed and award-winning movies such as The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle. His most recent film was 2022's Amsterdam.
Clooney is currently looking forward to the release of his upcoming movie Wolfs, co-starring Pitt and directed by Jon Watts. He will also star in filmmaker Noah Baumbach's untitled film for Netflix.