George Clooney has reportedly cut short his schedule at the Venice Film Festival after falling unwell on the opening day.
The 64-year-old actor, who stars in Noah Baumbach’s competition entry Jay Kelly, ended his Wednesday press junket early and missed a private dinner with co-stars and Netflix executives, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Sources said Clooney began feeling ill in the afternoon and was advised to rest ahead of Thursday’s official press conference and the film’s world premiere.
He was later spotted boarding a boat and leaving the Hotel Excelsior around 4pm by THR.
Insiders emphasised that it was not serious, but was under doctors orders to rest.
His absence meant skipping a dinner attended by Baumbach, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern and senior figures from Netflix.
Only hours earlier, Clooney had been pictured arriving at the Lido with Dern showing no signs of illness while dressed in a navy suit and sporting tinted sunglasses.
The incident comes just days after Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, hosted his co-stars at their Lake Como estate, Villa Oleandra.
The couple welcomed Dern, Greta Gerwig, Sandler and Eve Hewson, along with their eight-year-old twins Ella and Alexander, treating them to a boat ride and lunch at Villa d’Este before heading to Venice.
Jay Kelly, directed by Baumbach and due to stream on Netflix from December 5, sees Clooney play a Hollywood actor who has spent his career portraying versions of himself.
The film follows Jay and his manager Ron, played by Sandler, on a journey across Europe that forces them to confront questions of fame, family and legacy.
The cast also includes Dern, Jim Broadbent, Isla Fisher, Billy Crudup and Lenny Henry.
Clooney is expected to resume his promotional duties later this week, including attending the world premiere at Venice.
Aside from Jay Kelly, Netflix is adding star power to this year’s festival line-up with two other major premieres.
First, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein starring Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz, and then Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite, featuring Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Anthony Ramos and Jared Harris.
The Standard has contacted George Clooney’s rep for comment.
