George Clooney has reignited his feud with filmmaker David O. Russell, calling him "a miserable f***" in a joint interview with Brad Pitt.
The two actors are set to star in the film Wolfs together, in which a man is hired to cover up a high-profile crime. Eventually, things spiral out of control when he has to work with an unexpected partner. To promote the film, Clooney and Pitt were interviewed by GQ—and Clooney couldn't help but bring up Russell's name.
Clooney's feud with the filmmaker started when the pair clashed on the set of the 1999 film Three Kings. In an interview with Playboy in 2000, Clooney called the production "truly, without exception, the worst experience of my life." And the actor hasn't forgotten the experience.
Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for Clooney and Russell for comment on Wednesday.
During the interview with GQ, Pitt explained how he likes to spend his time now that he's older, saying acting is "a younger person's game."
"I'm just looking for experience. And then the people I work with, that's it. I just want to work with…" he said.
"People who like what they do," Clooney quipped. "Like, you were talking about time allotment. The older you get, time allotment is very different. Five months out of your life is a lot."
Clooney explained that now that he has plenty of experience, as well as a wife and children, he's pickier about the people he collaborates with, even if it means forfeiting a worthwhile project.
He continued: "And so it's not just like, 'Oh, I'm going to go do a really good film, like Three Kings, and I'm going to have a miserable f*** like David O. Russell making my life hell. Making every person in the crew's life hell.' It's not worth it. Not at this point in my life. Just to have a good product."
In the 2000 interview with Playboy, Clooney—who played the starring role of Archie Gates in Three Kings—claimed he saw Russell verbally abuse crew members. This motivated him to write a letter to the director, requesting that he calm down. However, Clooney said that later in the production, he saw Russell be physical with an extra over a stunt.
"I was trying to make things work, so I went over and put my arm around him. I said, 'David, it's a big day. But you can't shove, push or humiliate people who aren't allowed to defend themselves,'" he claimed.
Clooney told the publication that Russell became verbally abusive toward him and said: "Why don't you just worry about your f*****-up act?"
Clooney went on: "He goes, 'Hit me, you p****. Hit me.' Then he got me by the throat and I went nuts. Waldo, my buddy, one of the boys, grabbed me by the waist to get me to let go of him. I had him by the throat. I was going to kill him. Kill him. Finally, he apologized, but I walked away."
In a 2004 interview with The Guardian, Russell denied this claim, saying: "I never physically attacked him. If I ran into him, I'd say, 'Shut the f*** up, you lying-a** b****.'"
The feud seemed to have been quashed, as in 2012 Clooney told The Hollywood Reporter that he spoke to Russell at a party, hoping to leave their disputes in the past.
"I felt compelled to go over and go, 'So, are we done?' And he goes, 'Please.' And I said, 'OK.' We made a really, really great film and we had a really tough time together, but it's a case of us both getting older," the actor said.
"I really do appreciate the work he continues to do, and I think he appreciates what I'm trying to do," he said.
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