George Clooney prefers directing to acting.

The Oscar-nominated star has received critical acclaim for his various acting roles, but hopes new movie 'Leatherheads' - in which he both stars and directs - will show off his talents behind the camera.

He said: "Directing is infinitely more rewarding than acting. I love acting. It's a great job. It's the main way I make my living, but I really do enjoy directing."

George also revealed he was embarrassed about facing his peers at the Oscars after he was recently named 'The Last Great Movie Star' by Time magazine.

He said: "For the other 40 great movie stars that I ran into that night at the Oscars, that was good fun. I look over to Jack Nicholson and he's like, 'Hey man, the last great movie star, huh?' I went, 'I know, I know. Sorry.' It was embarrassing!"

The 46-year-old heartthrob - who has reportedly moved in with his girlfriend Sarah Larson - has also been dishing out advice to Tom Cruise about dealing with stardom.

He added to TV show 'Extra': "I've known Tom for a long time. I like him very much. He's a good guy. I said, 'How are you holding up?' He had gone through a couple bouts of the media being tough on him."

"We were just talking and I was saying always best to beat them to the punch. Make fun of yourself. He is one of the great all time movie stars, so he's a bigger target in general."