VENICE, Italy (AP) — In “Jay Kelly,” George Clooney plays a very George Clooney-esque movie star on a self-reflective journey through Europe. The film, which is premiering Thursday night at the Venice Film Festival, explores heady questions about finding oneself while also poking fun at the business of being a major celebrity in the world and all the people on their payroll around them.
But hours before the premiere, Clooney was absent from the news conference with his castmates due to a “bad sinus infection,” the moderator explained. He still hopes to make the red carpet later.
His co-star Laura Dern said it was especially sad that he wasn’t there because of his “amazing, raw, true performance” in the film, which is in competition for the festival’s top awards.
The meta-qualities of