'This story is not about anyone in particular'

Jay Kelly stars George Clooney and Adam Sandler on making the most of life - the film is on Netflix from Friday

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Although George Clooney and Adam Sandler have been friends for over 25 years, they have never collaborated on a project together.

When the Oscar-nominated American filmmaker Noah Baumbach, 56, sent Clooney the script for Jay Kelly, the blockbuster star was keen to be starring opposite Sandler, 59, for the first time.

"I really like him," admits 64-year-old Oscar and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Clooney.

"We play basketball together, throw a baseball around. He's really funny, and he's got a great family. But I think sometimes what gets overlooked with Adam is his skill as an actor. Sometimes it's because he does big, funny movies that people don't think require the kind of talent that they actually require.

"This is a movie that continues to expose his talent. He's done some films that have proven that over the years, and everybody sees it, but it always kind of gets dismissed. And he likes that, by the way. He likes to sort of downplay it. But what he does in this film is extraordinary."

Before a dizzyingly yet immersive opening scene in Jay Kelly, there is a quote from The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, which says: "It's a hell of a responsibility to be yourself. It's much easier to be somebody else, or nobody at all."

It sets the tone for the entire comedy-drama film, which follows a famous movie actor, Jay Kelly, played by Clooney, who embarks on a journey of self-discovery.