The Venice Film Festival just got hit with the plot twist of the year: George Clooney, literal king of red carpets, totally ghosted the photo call for his new movie *Jay Kelly*. And no, it wasn’t because he was hiding at Lake Como sipping espresso with Amal—it was because his sinuses staged a full-blown rebellion.
While Clooney was home sniffling into tissues, the rest of the cast had to hold it down on the Venice carpet. Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, and Billy Crudup all lined up for the big group pic with director Noah Baumbach and co-writer Emily Mortimer (who looked fancy in her Jimmy Choo heels, because yes, people still care about that detail). Riley Keough, Eve Hewson, Alba Rohrwacher, and Greta Gerwig (who makes a cameo as Adam Sandler’s wife in the movie) also showed up, smiling like they didn’t just lose their A-list poster boy to mucus.
A rep for Clooney told Variety, “George has been diagnosed with a sinus infection and is under doctor’s orders to chill today.” Translation: the man is literally benched by his nose. But don’t worry—he’s still expected to drag himself out later for the actual movie premiere, because if Clooney doesn’t show up, is it even Venice anymore?
So yeah, George Clooney’s face may have missed the group shot, but his sinuses are now officially the most dramatic diva of the 2025 Venice Film Festival.
