‘Age catching up with us’: No pranks or stunts on Wolfs set for George Clooney and Brad Pitt

LOS ANGELES – George Clooney and Brad Pitt first heard about each other in the 1990s, when the two then little-known American actors both auditioned to play the handsome hitchhiker in crime drama Thelma & Louise (1991).

Pitt went on to win the part, which made him a big breakout star. Decades later, the Hollywood A-listers became friends when they co-starred as casino-robbers in the Ocean’s Eleven heist comedies (2001 to present).

The two Oscar winners play partners in crime again in their new film Wolfs. But this time, their characters hate each other – and with both actors now in their 60s, there are plenty of jokes on- and off-screen about getting older.

Debuting on Apple TV+ on Sept 27, the action comedy casts Clooney, 63, and Pitt, 60 as two “fixers” inadvertently hired for the same shady job: covering up a crime involving a high-profile New York official.

And as the night spirals out of control, the rivals must overcome their lone-wolf tendencies and petty grievances to work together and complete the assignment.

The actors’ friendship took centre stage at the film’s recent Los Angeles premiere, even though the two say they still have a bit of a rivalry, just like their characters.

“We’re still competitive,” says Pitt.

“It’s nothing but competitive,” quips Clooney.

Clooney, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the political thriller Syriana (2005), says Pitt’s presence made it fun to work on Wolfs. It was written and directed by Jon Watts, the 43-year-old American film-maker behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man superhero trilogy (2017 to 2021).

“It’s been very fun for us because we’ve known each other a long time and everything’s pretty easy – we show up and it’s like you’re finishing a conversation that you had a year earlier, or 10 years earlier,” says Clooney, who landed his breakout role on the medical drama ER (1994 to 2009).

“And we don’t get irritated with each other,” he says about Pitt, with whom he also co-produced Wolfs. “We’re too old to get irritated at things now.”

“That’s the truth of it all. It just takes too much energy,” adds Pitt, who is dating Swiss jewellery executive Ines de Ramon, 34. He has six children aged 15 to 23 with former wife and actress Angelina Jolie, 49.

Pitt says he greatly admires Clooney both personally and professionally. “He’s done amazing things both on and off the court, and I just have great respect.”

The duo’s friendship began when they made the first Ocean’s film, which co-starred Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia and Casey Affleck.

“Everyone was friends. It was a pretty good gang,” recalls Pitt, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as a stuntman in the comedy drama Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood (2019).

The actors confirm they will co-star in a fourth Ocean’s movie, Ocean’s 14, although the wisecracks start again when asked to tease the plot.

“It’s pretty fun. I don’t want to give everything away, but everyone dies at the end,” jokes Clooney, who is married to British human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, 46. The couple have seven-year-old fraternal twins.

“We have a really good script, and everybody’s read it and is ready to do it. So we’ll get to work,” says the star.

But although the Ocean’s films and Wolfs are billed as action comedies, both actors are more careful when it comes to taking hits on screen, especially at this stage of their careers.

“I’ve never done any of my stunts,” jokes Clooney.

“Me neither. Not since 1994,” Pitt continues. “I love the stuntman. He’s getting hurt? I’ll be in the trailer.”

“No, we don’t do stunts. We’re not stupid,” Clooney adds.

Clooney is also known for pulling elaborate pranks on his friends and co-stars. But, on Wolfs, he pulled back on that as well.

“We didn’t do much on this,” he says. “We didn’t have time.”

Pitt laughs and suggests another explanation. “I think age is catching up with us.”