Why George Clooney is taking a break from acting

George Clooney arrives at the world premiere of “Tomorrowland” at AMC Downtown Disney on Saturday, May 9, 2015, in Anaheim, California.  AP

George Clooney is one of Hollywood’s most transcendent actors, appearing in numerous blockbusters over the years.

However, his lack of upcoming projects have been duly noted by fans recently—he last appeared in the 2016 “Money Monster.”

Speaking to the Sunday Times, the 56-year-old American actor confirmed that he was indeed taking a hiatus from the limelight.

“Look, I acted for a long time and, you know, I’m 56,” he explained. “I’m not the guy that gets the girl anymore. I shouldn’t be the guy that gets the girl.”

Clooney, who recently welcomed 5-month-old twins with wife, Amal Alamuddin, also candidly shared the reason why he elects not to pursue any acting projects.

“[But], look, if somebody’s got Paul Newman in ‘The Verdict,’ I’d jump,” he said. “But there aren’t that many like that. Acting used to be how I paid the rent, but I sold a tequila company for a billion f**king dollars. I don’t need money.”

The “Tomorrowland” actor is talking about his company “Casamigos,” which he co-owned with business partners Rande Gerber and Mike Meldeman.

Instead, Clooney bared that he would rather pursue his other passions behind the camera—like directing and producing films.

“I have money,” said Clooney. “So I can fight to make movies I want to make. If you look at what I’ve been in over the past 15 years, for the most part they weren’t going to get made if I didn’t do them. Nobody was going to make ‘Good Night, and Good Luck,’ ‘Michael Clayton’ or ‘Up in the Air,’ and I fought to get those out there.”  Khristian Ibarrola /ra

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