Overview
- Clooney says Newman delivered the advice on the Warner Bros. lot in the late 1990s while Newman filmed Message in a Bottle and Clooney was on ER.
- Newman initially did not recognize him, according to Clooney, who said passersby calling out “George!” clued Newman in to his rising profile.
- Clooney recalls the guidance as a warning against isolating to preserve privacy, adding that it immediately changed how he handled public attention.
- He recounted the story in a New York Times conversation alongside Jay Kelly co-star Adam Sandler as part of promotion for the new film.
- Jay Kelly is in select theaters now and is scheduled to stream on Netflix on December 5, while Newman, whom Clooney has long admired, died in 2008 at age 83.