George Clooney played a film star taking stock of his life in Noah Baumbach's Jay Kelly, whose UK premiere was the Cunard Gala of the 69th BFI London Film Festival.
George Clooney, who became famous as Dr Doug Ross in ER, played the title star in Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly. Its UK premiere was the Cunard Gala at the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank on Friday 10 October 2025.
Clooney was born in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1961. Out of Sight and the Ocean’s films made him a film star. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Syriana and a second Oscar as a producer of Argo.
Jay Kelly follows a famous actor who travels through Europe with his manager, played by Adam Sandler, and reckons with his choices, his family and his legacy. Baumbach wrote it with Emily Mortimer, and Laura Dern, Billy Crudup and Riley Keough are in the ensemble.
Parts of the film were shot in London, where Baumbach once lived. It had its world premiere in competition at Venice in August and reached Netflix on 5 December.
Greta Gerwig, who appears in the film, came to the South Bank with Baumbach, as did Louis Partridge, Isla Fisher, Jim Broadbent and Lenny Henry.