Is George Clooney Retiring? Actor Opens Up About Aging In Front Of The Cameras

George Clooney has been in the acting game for a long time — 38 years, to be exact — but it looks like his days in front of the camera may be numbered.

In an interview with BBC the "Hail, Caesar!" star opened up about his future in show business. He told the publication he was looking to make the shift to directing, largely because of his age. Clooney, 54, said he was fairly certain fans weren't interested in watching him — or anyone else, for that matter — age before their eyes. He added that the cameras can be "very unforgiving" to older stars, acknowledging that women in acting have it "a lot worse."

"I think nobody really wants to see anybody really age," he told BBC. "You know, it's a very unforgiving thing, the camera is, and so aging becomes something that you know, you try to do less and less onscreen. You try to pick the films that work best for you, and as you age they become less and less."

Activism is another important side gig of Clooney's. He and wife Amal Clooney have been integral to resettling efforts in the 2016 migrant crisis. On Feb. 12 the couple sat down with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the issue. During their meeting in Berlin, which lasted 30 minutes, Bloomberg reports they discussed the hundreds of thousands of refugees seeking safety in Europe.

The "Tomorrowland" star's retirement announcement comes nearly two months after Amal's first interview with an American TV network, where she said she doesn't consider herself a celebrity. In the Jan. 14 interview, the British human rights lawyer told NBC News that her marriage to a well-known actor does not, by any means, make her famous. Amal said she immediately returned to her career as a lawyer after marrying George and has no plans of giving it up. She did acknowledge that celebrities are "wonderful," praising them for giving up their privacy and using their platforms as public figures for the benefit of the greater good. Amal, however, has been very strategic about using her husband's last name to accomplish certain things.