CNN
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George Clooney has one surefire way to stay out of trouble as a public figure in the age of social media: stay out of it.
In a profile for The Washington Post Published on Friday, the Oscar-winning actor said he manages by not engaging on those platforms to avoid too much exposure in today’s 24/7 media cycle, which he admits is “if I do three a night. Drinks” will be a problem.
He also shared, “I don’t think you can be a star and be available.”
It was part of a larger conversation in which Clooney recognized how some of the movie stars who had come before him, such as Gregory Peck and Paul Newman – both of whom were friends before they died – had moved themselves into the spotlight. .
“That doesn’t mean you can’t be stupid and do stupid things, but it means stand up for the things you believe in, carry yourself with a little dignity,” “Ticket to Paradise” said the star. “And they both had a great sense of humor about themselves.”
Clooney, who is being honored at the Kennedy Center this month alongside Gladys Knight and U2, is active in humanitarian efforts in addition to his work as an actor, producer and director.
Ethan Hawke, who directed Clooney in a voice role as Newman in this year’s HBO documentary “The Last Movie Stars,” said it’s no surprise he’s receiving such a prestigious honor. (CNN and HBO Max are both part of the same parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.)
“It’s interesting that he’s getting the Kennedy Center Honors this year because Newman got it, too. They fit in a long line of really responsible artists, people who contribute to American culture and are civic leaders,” Hauck told the Post. “Whether you like George’s politics, or admire where he puts his money and time, you have to admire his willingness to lead and his willingness to care.”
Steven Soderbergh, whose 1998 masterpiece “Out of Sight” starred Clooney alongside Jennifer Lopez, said the actor was unique in not caring that his politics might compromise his approach to stardom.
“Default mode doesn’t really get you into a place of thinking about fairness, or defending people who can’t defend themselves. It’s great when people use that juice for those purposes, but That’s not the way the stream flows,” Soderbergh said of Clooney’s efforts with wife Amal, a human rights attorney, through his Clooney Foundation for Justice.
“The current flows in the direction of self-orientation and in the mode of extracting whatever you can from this business, and whatever you can from the world at large. … He’s one of the few guys who punches upwards. This is rare. ”
Clooney will be featured as part of the Kennedy Center Honors on December 28 at 8pm on CBS.
