Patti LuPone and George Clooney Agree America Is ‘Only Getting Stupider’

"Do you ever stop and wonder about Elon Musk?" LuPone asked Clooney. "Isn’t he destroying the government? When does he have time to tweet to you?" All necessary questions!

By Audra Heinrichs | April 22, 2025 | 5:03pm

Photo: Screenshot Celebrity Entertainment

Patti LuPone and George Clooney Agree America Is ‘Only Getting Stupider’

Good news for all of my fellow theater kids! On Tuesday, Variety revealed its latest “Actors on Actors” series, in which they finally paired Broadway stars together, just in time for the Tony Awards press cycle. The actors in its first installment? George Clooney and the “First Lady of Theater” herself, Patti LuPone.

As expected, Clooney, who’s currently starring in a stage version of his 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck, and LuPone, who acted opposite Mia Farrow in The Roommate, covered a lot of ground. Chief among the topics was LuPone’s praise of Nicole Scherzinger’s turn in her iconic Sunset Boulevard role: “It’s audacious. It’s heartbreaking. Nicole’s mad scene is spectacular.”; Clooney refusing blame for poor cellphone etiquette on Broadway: “I was literally pointing at this old lady. I’m like, “It’s not me, it’s this chick.”; and their shared thoughts on intelligence in modern America: “We’re only getting stupider.”

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As in most of Clooney’s interviews these days, the death of democracy came up. Given the premise of the play (journalist Edward R. Murrow’s public stance against Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s unfounded obsession with communist threats in the 1950s), it would be an understatement to write that there are parallels—not only with the relationship between politicians and the press today, but how the public is negatively impacted as a result.

“McCarthy’s a demagogue,” Clooney said. “And demagogues are really fascinating characters because they’re charming and interesting and use fear as a tactic. But it’s important to remember how we get through these things, which is by standing up for what we believe in and reminding ourselves of who we are at our best.” See? Resonant! LuPone then noted that standing up for what you believe in—no matter the time period—can prove pretty precarious.

“What I don’t understand about all of this in this country is that we can’t seem to have dissenting views,” she said. “You’re labeled a communist. You’re labeled a fascist.” Indeed, I have noticed that when you say everyone deserves a livable wage, free healthcare, and, I don’t know, the right to protest without being disappeared, you are often accused of being a communist in this country…

Inevitably, the conversation turned toward a certain super-spreader of seed and President Donald Trump’s demonic right hand (read: Elon Musk). During Good Night, And Good Luck, multiple modern news broadcasts are shown on a screen, seemingly in ask of the audience’s reactions.

“Now, people can look at Elon Musk doing his move and go, ‘That’s a Roman salute,’” Clooney said, citing his nazi salutes in January. “And maybe it is. We put it on a big screen, and we let you make your own decisions. Having said that, I will argue that when you retweet a statement that says that Hitler wasn’t responsible for the Holocaust—which he did—then maybe it is a Nazi salute. Maybe.” No need to be generous there, George.

“Do you ever stop and wonder about Elon Musk?” LuPone then asked.”Isn’t he destroying the government? When does he have time to tweet to you?” Clooney’s response was succinct: “Well, the president of the United States sent some nice tweets. It’s funny because he’s just a New York beast. We’ve all known him for 30 years, and he was just a guy chasing women. But whatever. It’s fine. We’re going to get through it.” Again, no need to be so kind. Trump was never just “a guy chasing women.” He is—and always has been—a prolific sexual predator and a dangerous misogynist. LuPone, for her part, wasn’t quite so convinced about the whole surviving a second Trump term thing. Can you blame her?

“Do you think so?” she asked, to which Clooney replied that he’s “an optimist.”

“I’m a glass-half-empty girl,” she concluded. Then, she proceeded with the hardest pivot of all time and asked if he goes out and drinks during his Broadway run. Spoiler alert: He doesn’t.

Though I doubt this series can get any better than LuPone, I am looking forward to seeing which delightfully chaotic match is next.

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