NEED TO KNOW
- The feud began in the early 2000s, when Russell called George a “sellout” for doing commercials.
- Tensions simmered until recently, when Russell’s new film Nuremberg became a box-office hit, while George’s Jay Kelly struggled.
- George’s ego has taken a hit after a string of flop movies.
There will never be any love lost between George Clooney and Russell Crowe, however their long-simmering war has tilted decisively in the Aussie actor’s favour coming into the new year.
In a stunning start to 2026, Russell, 61, has found himself riding box-office glory with his historical drama Nuremberg becoming an unexpected hit with audiences worldwide.
Meanwhile, George is scrambling to squeeze out another Ocean’s sequel after his latest awards play, Jay Kelly, failed to set the world alight.
Nuremberg, a WWII thriller in which Russell stars as Gestapo boss Hermann Göring, has quietly amassed $69 million since its November release.
“Russell’s phone is blowing up,” New Idea’s source tells us. “He’s back as the go-to for serious, character-driven roles and every director seeking awards wants him in their movies.”
Unfortunately for Russell’s arch rival George, the situation couldn’t be more different.
Having relocated to France, the 64-year-old will next be reviving his old character Danny Ocean for a fourth Ocean’s Eleven movie.
“George isn’t the draw he used to be and he knows it,” says a long-time pal. “He knows Russell’s got acting talent he could never possess, but it was a wake-up call for him. He’s been sticking to safe reboots and not taking any risks like Russell’s willing to do.
“He respects Russell as an actor, but he’ll never work with him, not for all the Oscars in the world.”
The roots of their feud trace back to the early 2000s, when Russell landed the lead in Gladiator, which George wanted.
Things escalated in 2005, when Russell slammed George as a “sellout”, along with Harrison Ford and Robert De Niro, for doing adverts.
George responded light-heartedly with a dig at Russell’s side-gig as a musician, saying, “He’s probably right. And I’m glad he told us, ’cause Bob and Harrison and I were also thinking about starting a band, which would also fall under the heading of bad use of celebrity.”
This only inflamed the notoriously hot-tempered Russell, who reportedly raged, “Who the f*** does this guy think he is? He’s a Frank Sinatra wannabe.”
George later admitted things got out of hand. Russell eventually reached out with a peace offering – a disc of his music and a collection of his poetry, along with an explanatory note.
“I think he said, ‘I was all misquoted,’” recounted George. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah. Whatever.’”
While the two have since remained civil, with no public flare-ups in recent years, insiders say George “is happy to forgive, but he won’t forget”.
