George Clooney Has 5 Words For Critics Who Claim He Always Plays Himself

George Clooney doesn’t seem fazed by criticism concerning his acting.

The Oscar winner has famously played a wide variety of characters, including an emergency room doctor in “ER,” iconic superhero billionaire Bruce Wayne in “Batman & Robin” and an astronaut in “Gravity.”

However, critics often accuse him of playing himself in every project.

“Do people say that I only play myself? I don’t give a shit,” Clooney told the outlet. “There aren’t that many guys in my age group that are allowed to do both broad comedies like ‘O Brother [Where Art Thou?]’ and then do ‘Michael Clayton’ or ‘Syriana.’”

“So if that means I’m playing myself all the time, I don’t give a shit,” he continued.

Clooney has tackled a range of roles. His manic, wide-eyed paranoia in “Burn After Reading,” for instance, is undeniably distinct from the suave, Cary Grant-esque charm he exhibits in “Ocean’s Eleven.”

One explanation for the criticism: Clooney’s ubiquitous, world-famous persona across films, advertisements and politics is too prominent to be hidden behind characters — audiences can’t help but recognize him.

To drive the point home, Clooney quoted “Jay Kelly” during his interview: “Have you ever tried playing yourself? It’s hard to do.”

However, there have been some who don’t even consider Clooney a movie star.

Clooney reacted to the comment with an expletive-laden response last year and told GQ at the time that “this millennium” — which saw Clooney lead the “Ocean’s” trilogy, win an acting Oscar and cement himself as a household name — is “kind of my whole fucking career.”

“I didn’t really get successful, in the kind of success that can be blinding, until I was 33 years old,” Clooney told Vanity Fair. “I’d been working for 12 years at that point. I had a real understanding of how fleeting all of it is and how little it has to do with you, quite honestly.”

The actor, movie star or not, was nominated for a Tony Award earlier this year for his Broadway performance in “Good Night, and Good Luck.”