Jay Kelly Stars George Clooney, Adam Sandler and Director Noah Baumbach Reflect on Memory and Aging – INTERVIEW

Baumbach’s most personal film, Jay Kelly, sparks candid reflections.

The team behind Jay Kelly, the new drama from director Noah Baumbach and co-writer Emily Mortimer, gathered for a lively global press conference, followed by intimate roundtables exploring the film’s themes of aging, memory, and creative reinvention. With George Clooney, Adam Sandler, and Laura Dern joining the conversation, the event blended humor with emotional clarity. The film is now in select theaters and streams on Netflix on December 5.

I opened the press conference with the day’s first audience question, which centered on how the film captures the bittersweet tension between who we were and who we become.

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That question led George Clooney to immediately cut through the room with a quintessential Clooney joke: “I pay people to do it,” he said, when asked how he stays connected to his younger self. His timing drew laughter, but it set up a more grounded reflection from Noah Baumbach, who explained that filmmaking keeps him rooted in the person he once was. He described moviemaking as “playful” at its core, adding that “the work we do helps us do that because it is essentially playful,” and that being surrounded by collaborators he trusts allows him to “give over and go places” emotionally.

How Art Intersects With Memory

Emily Mortimer highlighted how personal the film’s emotional terrain felt to her. She pointed to Jay’s memory of Daphne on the train as the moment she identifies with most, noting that the scene reflects “the paradox of pretending to be someone else’s mother while you’ve left your own kids somewhere far away,” a feeling she said “gets me every time.”  

During the roundtable, she went deeper when asked which memory she would step into if given the chance. Mortimer revealed that when her father died, she avoided remembering him because she feared the sadness those memories would bring. She said she now regrets that choice, explaining, “I wish I was braver about remembering him sooner because now I think, ‘Oh my God, I’ve forgotten so many things.’”

Baumbach’s own answer to the roundtable question linked directly to his origins as a filmmaker. He spoke about being a teenager in Brooklyn, discovering cinema for the first time, and how he still vividly recalls “where I saw what and who I was with.” He said the filmmaking process often feels like “a conversation with our younger selves,” adding that he exists “on both sides always, both as the person who makes movies and the person who loves them.”

A Set Defined by Trust and Longtime Bonds

Adam Sandler spoke about how essential that sense of trust was from the start. He said he can only give his best work “when I’m clicking with my surroundings,” adding that the Jay Kelly team “made me feel confident and supported” throughout filming. When asked about his onscreen chemistry with Clooney, Sandler noted that it came naturally, saying it was “very easy with my man” and that he loved being able to play a character who constantly wants to make sure Clooney’s Jay Kelly is okay.

Laura Dern echoed that the movie resonated with her because it honors the behind-the-scenes relationships many actors rely on. She said the film reflects the “shared partnership” between artists and the teams who help shape their careers, adding that the script felt like an homage to “all the people that tell the story” and help artists navigate the highs and lows of their lives.

Building Memories the Old-Fashioned Way

Baumbach also explained the film’s visually striking memory sequences, which were constructed practically rather than digitally. He said the team “wanted it all to be right there” so Clooney could step between past and present in a way that felt “easeful and graceful.” Clooney praised the technique, saying it evoked “the magic of old-fashioned storytelling,” comparing it to classic Hollywood films in which practical effects carried emotional weight.

A Film Asking Whether We’d ‘Go Again’

As Jay Kelly closes with a character questioning whether he would take another shot at life, Clooney said he views the line as a reflection of universal truth. While acknowledging he wouldn’t mind having his younger knees back, he said he is grateful for the life he has now and for the chance to “still play and pretend” at 64.

Jay Kelly ultimately resonates because it is built by filmmakers and actors who are wrestling with the same questions their characters face: how we remember, how we grow, and what we carry with us.

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