That cannot be real.

“In 1999, news spread of Russell and George Clooney nearly having a fistfight on the set of Three Kings. After tensions on the set had been steadily increasing, Clooney confronted Russell with the intention of defending crew.

According a 2000 Playboy[1] interview with George Clooney, he got into a fight with Russell on the set of Three Kings because of the way Russell was treating his crew. According to Clooney, Russell was demeaning the crew verbally and physically. Clooney felt this was out of line and let Russell know by saying:

“David, it’s a big day. But you can’t shove, push or humiliate people who aren’t allowed to defend themselves.”

Russell then taunted Clooney by saying:

“Why don’t you just worry about your fucked-up act? You’re being a dick. You want to hit me? You want to hit me? Come on, pussy, hit me.”

Russell then grabbed Clooney by the throat and Clooney, “went nuts.” Russell eventually apologized and filming continued, but Clooney describes the experience as “…the worst experience of my life.”