George Clooney broke into the film industry at the tender age of 17. The actor was an extra in the 1978 TV miniseries Centennial, which was filmed in his hometown of Augusta, Kentucky.

Since then, the actor has appeared in hundreds of movie and TV projects, including ER, Batman and Robin, Ocean's Eleven, and Syriana, for which he won an Academy Award.

Clooney also dabbled in some directing and producing, and even won another Oscar for co-producing the 2012 movie Argo.

For decades, the actor almost always had a film hit theaters every year, but have you noticed that he has been missing from the silver screen as of late?

If yes, then you're not alone. Clooney hasn't starred in any films since 2016.

There were many speculations as to why he stopped acting, but now Clooney himself is clearing up the rumors and explaining why he isn't taking on any new roles.

The 56-year-old actor finally addressed the rumors circling about his decision to take a step back from acting during an interview with The Sunday Times.

Clooney revealed that he has no plans to take on a new role anytime soon because acting is no longer a priority for him.

"Look, I acted for a long time and, you know, I'm 56," explained Clooney. "I'm not the guy that gets the girl anymore. I shouldn't be the guy that gets the girl."

You might think that the Hollywood veteran is making room for the younger generation or he's trying to spend more time with his five-month-old twins, but while those are all good excuses, they're not exactly why he took a break.

He explained, "But, look, if somebody's got Paul Newman in "˜The Verdict,' I'd jump. But there aren't that many like that. Acting used to be how I paid the rent, but I sold a tequila company for a billion f-----g dollars. I don't need money."

This past June, Clooney and his business partners sold their tequila company, Casamigos, for $1 billion.

Since Clooney now has enough money to last for generations, he's been working behind the camera and creating content that other directors and producers wouldn't touch.

"I have money," Clooney added. "So I can fight to make movies I want to make. If you look at what I've been in over the past 15 years, for the most part they weren't going to get made if I didn't do them. Nobody was going to make "˜Good Night, and Good Luck,' "˜Michael Clayton' or "˜Up in the Air,' and I fought to get those out there."

However, he did admit that if he needed funding to get a film he was passionate about made. He would go to great lengths to raise the funds, even recalling the fact that he used to do coffee commercials.

When asked if he had any aspirations to run for office, especially since his father ran for congress years ago, Clooney replied, "I don't have political aspirations."

"I have always been involved in politics. My father ran for Congress. It's been in our family for ever. But, mostly, I can help in ways I actually know very well, like messaging [voters]," he said.

Would you like to see Clooney return to the big screen?