George Clooney Has Harsh Words For 'Failed Screenwriter' Steve Bannon
It’s no secret that George Clooney isn’t a fan of former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon (or of President Donald Trump, for that matter). This weekend, while speaking to journalists at the Toronto International Film Festival, the actor let loose with his true feelings again.
Speaking to Vanity Fair’s Krista Smith, Clooney called Bannon “a schmuck who literally tried everything he could to sell scripts in Hollywood.” Bannon famously wrote a screenplay for a rap musical update of Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus,” titled “The Thing I Am.”
“It’s like a rap Shakespearean thing about the LA riots. It’s the worst script you’ve ever read,” Clooney said of Bannon’s creation. “But he was trying to get it made in Hollywood. And had he, he would still be in Hollywood making movies and kissing my ass to make one of his films. That’s who he is.”
Those remarks echo Clooney’s comments to a separate group of journalists the previous day, according to Entertainment Weekly.
“I like picking fights. I like that Breitbart News wants to have my head. I’d be ashamed 10 years from now if those weaselly little putzes, whose voices are getting a lot higher every week as this presidency starts to look worse and worse, weren’t still [after me],” Clooney said. “Steve Bannon is a failed fucking screenwriter, and if you’ve ever read [his] screenplay, it’s unbelievable.”
The Oscar winner similarly noted that if Bannon, who is now back as executive chairman of Breitbart, were still in Hollywood, he’d be “licking my ass to get me to do one of his stupid-ass screenplays.”
Clooney has highlighted Bannon’s time in Hollywood before. When criticizing Trump’s response to Meryl Streep’s powerful Golden Globes speech in February, Clooney brought Bannon into the mix.
“Steve Bannon is a failed film writer and director. That’s the truth. That’s what he’s done,” Clooney said, adding, “He made a lot of money off of ‘Seinfeld.’ …He’s elitist Hollywood, I mean, that’s the reality.”
Clooney has also spoken out against Trump on multiple occasions, describing the president as “in over his head and incapable.”
Still, the “Suburbicon” director remains somewhat optimistic about America’s future.
“Particularly with our country, we work things out,” Clooney told Vanity Fair. “Winston Churchill’s statement on America was, ‘You can always count on America to do the right thing after they’ve exhausted every other possibility.’ And I feel like that’s us a lot.”
Also on HuffPost
George Clooney Has Worn The Same Color To Red Carpets...
He Wore It When Cross Promoting His Tequila Brand In 2015
In Canada (At The Toronto International Film Festival) In 2015
At The MTV Video Music Awards In 1995
At A Charity Golf Tournament In 1994
Hanging Out In Germany In 2016
On "The Tonight Show" In 2001
And To The First Taping Of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" In 2015
When Making Squad Goals Happen In 1996...
In 1997 With These Two ...
And 2001 With These Three ...
At Planet Hollywood With Arnold In 1997
At The International Film Festival In LA In 2000
At The "Out Of Sight" Premiere In 1998...
And "The Perfect Storm" In 2000...
And "Ocean's Thirteen" In 2007...
And "Ides Of March" In 2011
At A Kevin Spacey Party In 2000
When Standing With Regal Wife Amal In 2016...
And Looking Normal In Germany In 2000
When Chilling With Brad Pitt In Monaco In 2004
To Compliment A Radiant Halo In 2003
When Leaving Whiskey Bars In 2002
When Commuting Around On Crutches In 2003
When Accepting Critics' Choice Awards In 2006
When Hanging Out With His Dad In Washington In 2006
When Staring Into The Eyes Of Frank Langella In 2005
When Getting Bullied By Patricia Clarkson In 2006
Clooney Just Knows What's Up
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
