How Brad Pitt and George Clooney Proved They’re More Than Hollywood’s Hottest Faces

George Clooney has had to kiss a lot of beautiful women over the course of his storied career, from Catherine Zeta-Jones to Michelle Pfeiffer and Jennifer Lopez. But the 64-year-old is done locking lips with his female costars, he announced in a new interview with the Daily Mail. “I’ve been trying to go the route Paul Newman did — ‘OK, well, I’m not kissing a girl anymore,’” George said of the late Hollywood legend who famously made the decision to stop smooching on-screen out of respect for his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward.

And don’t expect his close pal Brad Pitt to be taking off his shirt in movies much longer, either. As the two age, sources tell Star, they’re determined to gracefully cede their sex-symbol status and leave room for up-and-comers. “We all have an expiration date,” as Brad explained last year. “I’m approaching mine. I don’t mind the younger generation stepping up.”

Face Value

Like the aging actor he plays in Jay Kelly, George felt defined by his appearance from the start. “Quite honestly, I was objectified,” he said in 2022 of his early roles. “I remember doing scenes on Roseanne and I’d drop a clipboard and bend over, and they’d all slap me on the ass.” Yet he was considered the most eligible bachelor in Hollywood and appeared to relish the role. “He did have fun along the way,” notes a source. “But it was a lonely existence at times.”

Meanwhile, the brighter his star burned, the more George wanted to be taken seriously. “You had to establish yourself as more than that,” he said of his heartthrob status. A series of serious dramas proved his Hollywood heft, culminating with 2005’s Good Night and Good Luck: George not only starred in the drama, he also directed, produced and co-wrote the screenplay for the film, which went on to receive six Oscar nods, including for Best Director. Now, says the source, “George is very content with the way his career has evolved and how he’s managed to diversify and turn his talent to a variety of different roles. He always worried that audiences would see him as some type of ‘himbo’ if he didn’t expand his repertoire.”

When he turned 60 in 2021, he said, he had a reckoning. “I can still play basketball with the boys… I can still hang, I’m in shape,” he recalled. “But in 25 years, I’m 85 years old. It doesn’t matter how many granola bars you eat, that’s a real number.” Rom-coms weren’t off the table entirely, however. The following year, the dad of 8-year-old twins with wife of 11 years, human rights attorney Amal Clooney, reunited with Ocean’s Eleven costar Julia Roberts for Ticket to Paradise. And yes, there was a kissing scene. “I told my wife, ‘It took 80 takes.’ She was like, ‘What the hell?!’” he told the New York Times. Julia, 58, immediately clarified: “It took 79 takes of us laughing, and then the one take of us kissing!”

Not Just Eye Candy

George isn’t the only actor looking to relinquish his heartthrob title. Close pal Brad Pitt famously got his start with 1991’s Thelma & Louise, landing the role of shirtless drifter J.D. after auditioning opposite Geena Davis, who was “so distracted” by his charisma, she told Entertainment Tonight in 2024, that she fumbled her lines. The part earned Brad his SAG card. It also sealed his reputation as a sex symbol. “Brad worked his butt off to prove that he had real acting chops,” says the source. “But it wasn’t easy a lot of time because a lot of folks… saw him primarily as a pretty face first and an actor second.”

The 61-year-old slowly became a force in the industry with his production company, Plan B, which was behind Moneyball and the Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave. While he did show off his ripped bod as an also-ran driver in this year’s F1, he’s ready to pass the baton to the next generation. “He has pride about his appearance, but he also has an Oscar and very little left to prove as an actor,” the source says of Brad’s Academy Award–winning turn in 2019’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. “He wants to re-invent his on-screen persona and show his life experience. Those are the scripts he’s looking at right now.” While he’s also shifting focus to working behind the camera, he’s not done yet. “There are still a few things I want to do before I kick the bucket,” he told ramp.space magazine. “Acting is too much fun for me.”