George Clooney, Brad Pitt say goodbye to heartthrob era

George Clooney and Brad Pitt are said to be stepping away from their Hollywood heartthrob status.

Both actors are reportedly ready to enter a new phase in their careers.

Rising to fame in 1990s and becoming global sex symbols, Clooney and Pitt, who have also remained longtime friends, are now focusing on more mature and meaningful roles as they approach their late 60s.

Insiders noted that Pitt did have "fun along the way" but it was also "a lonely existence at times."

Last year, the actor confessed, "We all have an expiration date. I'm approaching mine. I don't mind the younger generation stepping up."

On the other hand, George Clooney previously said of his heartthrob status that you "had to establish yourself as more than that."

An insider noted, "George is very content with the way his career has evolved and how he's managed to diversify and turn his talent to a variety of different roles."

"He always worried that audiences would see him as some type of 'himbo' if he didn't expand his repertoire," they added of Clooney.

Sources also said of Brad Pitt that he "worked his butt off to prove that he had real acting chops."

"But it wasn't easy a lot of the time because a lot of folks... saw him primarily as a pretty face first and an actor second," they added. Noting of the F1 star's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Academy-award win, the source said, "He has pride about his appearance, but he also has an Oscar and very little left to prove as an actor."

"He wants to reinvent his onscreen persona and show his life experience. Those are the scripts he's looking at right now," the source added.