Hollywood star George Clooney has praised Adam Sandler, his co-star from the upcoming film "Jay Kelly", calling him “not just a great comedian” but also a “soulful actor.” The two actors share the screen space for the first time in the drama movie from filmmaker Noah Baumbach.

"I kept telling the cast, ‘Don’t call him Sand Man. Don’t talk to him like he’s just some goofy comedian.' He’s actually a really beautiful, wonderful actor," Clooney told news outlet Vanity Fair.

Clooney added, “Because of what his paycheck is, which is doing big goofy comedies, when he does these other, beautiful, Uncut Gems kinds of movies, it reminds people of that. He’s not just a good comedian.” Clooney headlines “Jay Kelly” in the title role.

Written by Baumbach and Emily Mortimer, the film stars the Oscar winner as a world famous movie star in his 60s who faces a personal reckoning when he travels to an Italian film festival to receive a tribute award.

Laura Dern stars as Jay’s publicist, while Sandler plays his manager.

About the movie, the actor said, "This film, more than any film Adam has done, shows what a beautiful, heartfelt, soulful actor he is.” With comedies such as “Just Go With It” and “Grown Ups” under his belt, Sandler has previously challenged himself with dramatic roles in “Punch Drunk Love” in 2002 and 2017's “The Meyerowitz Stories”, which was also directed by Baumbach.

“Jay Kelly” will be released in the US theatres on November 14. It will premiere on Netflix on December 5.

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