George Clooney: I Love Pranking Brad Pitt

George Clooney: I love pranking Brad Pitt

By covermg.com | Cover Media – Tue, Nov 19, 2013 8:30 AM PHT


The word charisma doesn’t even begin to describe the aura that surrounds George Clooney. He’s the epitome of the debonair playboy. The natural-born movie star. The no-strings attached celebrity multimillionaire with the devil-may-care-grin who divides his life between work and his idyllic Italian villa. Clooney, the ultimate movie star whose white smile and magnetic personality rival that of Hollywood’s greatest screen legends, has reached a point in his life where his legacy is the only thing which matters.

“I don’t worry about anything really except my work,” he says. “I’ve been determined to leave a legacy of good work behind me and I’m completely dedicated to that goal. It’s the one thing I stress over. When it comes to my private life, I’m having a blast. I get to do exactly what I like. If I wanted, I could just get on my motorcycle and ride it forever.”

His new film, Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, sees Clooney co-starring alongside Sandra Bullock as a pair of astronauts facing doom after their space shuttle is destroyed and they are left drifting in the void. Critics have raved about the film since its premiere at the Venice Film Festival and most industry observers are touting it as a serious Oscar contender.

It’s George’s second foray into outer space, having previously produced and starred in the remake of Solaris in 2002. Gravity, however, is a far more engaging picture that demonstrates Clooney’s resolve to make meaningful films. It has turned out to be one of the biggest hits of Clooney’s career, earning over $50 million in its first week at the North American box-office.

Over the last five years, the 52-year-old actor has earned three Best Actor Oscar nominations for his bravura performances in The Descendants, Up in the Air, and Michael Clayton, having previously won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Syriana.

Clooney recently split from his girlfriend of the past two years, Stacey Keibler. Previously he was involved with Italian TV presenter Elisabetta Canalis. Last year, in a rare observation about his love life, George made the following comment:

“Anyone would be lying if they said they didn’t get lonely at times... I have been infinitely more alone in a bad relationship; there’s nothing more isolating.”

THE INTERVIEW

Q: Gravity is a very unique film. What is your take on it?

CLOONEY: It’s a very philosophical and speculative film. It’s about coming to terms with death and conversely with life. The environment of solitude that Alfonso Cuarón has created is something very rare and exceptional and will provoke a lot of discussion. This is one of the most remarkable films I’ve ever worked on and there are some truly game-changing aspects to the cinematography and technology that have gone into it the making of it. It’s a very beautiful and elegant work and Sandra Bullock does an incredible job.

Q: There were some physical challenges for both of you, weren’t there?

CLOONEY: When I first arrived on the set and was hooked up into the (space) suit (and suspended in air) I wondered how the hell I was going to do it! The hardest part was trying to speak normally while controlling your body so that you are reproducing the slow movement that comes with weightlessness. I didn’t realise it would be that difficult, but it took some time before we were both able to slow down our movements while speaking quickly or at a normal pace. Being suspended in the air and wearing the suit was very uncomfortable and I was glad that that Sandra and I could laugh at lot between takes to ease that physical strain.

Q: When you’re not hooked up into space suits, do you still enjoy the good life in Lake Como?

CLOONEY: Life doesn’t get much better than that. It’s a place where I can get away, read scripts, do some writing, and invite friends over to have a good time. It’s really nice to sit down and have a two-hour lunch, which the Italians do. I realised that I had spent probably 15, 20 years standing up and shovelling food down my throat. It’s not about wealth; it’s about taking time and actually enjoying things. All of my friends think of this as their home. They come even when I’m not here (laughs).

Q: What draws you to Italy?

CLOONEY: What I love about Italy is being able to feel very free there. The Italians have a great joie de vivre and way of looking at the world. Very little bothers them except when their local football team loses. So that kind of spirit is incredibly stimulating. As soon as I set foot in Laglio (the small village where he owns a villa that lies along Lake Como – ED), I feel truly at home and at peace there... And no one cares about the film business there. It’s all about food and wine and the beauty of being there. I get to do some work, I get to ride my motorcycle, and that still leaves plenty of time for food and drink. Mostly drink.

Q: Do you still enjoy taking cross-country motorbike trips across Italy?

CLOONEY: It’s one of my greatest pleasures in life. I love being able to stop in small towns and enjoy drinks with the locals. The Italians have a very infectious spirit and that makes me feel very relaxed and less caught up in the business of being who I am. That’s a big part of what draws me back to Italy. I just appreciate the way Italians enjoy life. We should all learn the beauty of four-hour meals. (Smiles)

Q: You’re famous for the practical jokes you play on friends and co-stars. What’s one of your best pranks?

CLOONEY: I can’t discuss the really nasty pranks. But I love pulling practical jokes on Brad Pitt. Several years back Brad and I were staying at a hotel in Italy while we were shooting Ocean’s Twelve. One evening, before Brad came back to the hotel, I went out onto his balcony and started waving to the crowd below. Pretty soon there were two or three hundred screaming girls outside and I kept waving and blowing kisses. When Brad finally arrived, he had to put up to listening to the girls screaming, “George, George,” outside his balcony window below expecting me to come out again.

Also, whenever Brad is staying with me in Italy I always tell the paparazzi where he’s planning to be during the day. I just give out his itinerary in advance – it saves everyone a lot of trouble! (Smiles)

Q: You seem incredibly relaxed and happy. Do you feel that you’re one of those lucky few who has exactly the life he wants?

CLOONEY: Things are easy when you’ve figured out how to live. You’re able to cut through all the cr*p that tends to weigh people down and you just focus on what you want out of life and pursue that. For me, the key to life is knowing what you want and being able to go out and get it. It takes hard work, but once you get to the point where you’re achieving your goals and not wasting time, everything in life becomes much easier.

I’m pretty close to where I want to be. I’m doing the kind of work I want to do and I still have a lot I have left to accomplish and that keeps driving me. You have to be willing to work hard to create your own sense of freedom and that’s where the real art of living comes in.

Q: You long ago decided to dedicate yourself to the kind of career which you can be proud of. Do you feel you’ve accomplished most of your goals?

CLOONEY: (Laughs) I’m not drowning in sorrow. But I also don’t take anything for granted. This is the point in my life where I can get a lot of interesting films made and that window can close very fast if you’re not careful. I feel I understand the process that goes into making films that will stand the test of time and I’m more determined than ever to take advantage of the opportunity I have….I want to be able to leave some sort of legacy and not have any regrets down the road that I didn’t do my best to make interesting films.

Q; How has your father’s attitude towards life influenced you?

CLOONEY: My dad (veteran journalist Nick Clooney – ED) is an idealist. He believes that there’s a right way to live and a right way to run a government. So he has never shied away from speaking his mind on certain issues and being politically outspoken even if that cost him his job or made his life difficult. So I grew up appreciating the meaning of the notion of integrity and I owe that to my father.

If you decide to live your life that way, you’re going to be constantly looking for ways to avoid selling your soul. That’s why I’m trying very hard to make films that will leave a mark. I want to be able to sit back in my rocking chair when I’m 80 and be able to talk about some of the films I made and hold my head high.

Q: Unlike some movie stars, you seem so relaxed and at ease with your rather considerable fame. How do you stay so cool and calm?

CLOONEY: Before I ever arrived in Los Angeles, I was the son of a very famous newsman and my aunt Rosemary had been one of the biggest stars in the music business in her day. So I knew what it meant to be a celebrity and how it could all go away pretty fast. My aunt Rosemary also taught me how to keep a perspective on everything that happens to you. Rosemary was once one of the most popular singers in America. But I learnt from how her career sank in the sixties (with the advent of rock and roll). I saw how little it has to do with you. It’s all about luck and being at the right place and the right time.

The problem with famous people in general is that they actually think they’re geniuses. You get famous and you think, ‘Yes, of course I should be famous and I’ve earned it all’.

You haven’t, though. You got lucky. I got lucky. I was in a TV show (ER) that got a Thursday night time slot at 10pm and it was a massive hit and we were drawing 40 million viewers each episode. Because of that success, I was able to work in film and eventually get to do the movies I wanted to do... But remember, I’m also the guy who nearly killed Batman for good. So I never take anything for granted.

Q: You’ve often spoken about not wanting to waste time. Do your approach your work with a sense of urgency?

CLOONEY: I’m aware of how brief life is and how you have to mark every day and make it matter - not just the best moments, the award nominations, the opening nights. If my life is all about is these satellite moments, what then? They come, and they’re gone. I have to live it whole. In the end it’s all about friendship and loyalty and treating people right. That’s one of the reasons I always make it a point of being as pleasant to people I’m working with as I can possibly be and why I will not work with people who treat others badly on a set.

Q: You recently revealed that you suffered from Bell’s Palsy when you were a teenager?

CLOONEY: When I was 14 and just starting high school, half my face was paralyzed for six months. That’s a long, long time. You wake up one morning and your tongue is numb, and you can’t drink. Milk starts pouring out of the side of your face. You don’t know when it’s going to end; you don’t know if it is going to end. And there’s no treatment. It’s not the thing that makes you the most popular kid in school. I was very grateful when it went away.

Q: How do you adjust to the constant loss of privacy?

CLOONEY: I remember walking through the streets of New York during the first season of ER and people starting to wave at you or smile as if they knew you personally, or going, “Hey, George.” Your life becomes more complicated when that starts to happen.

I try never to complain because no one wants to hear that. I will say though that I don’t think many actors from the forties or fifties would have survived very long under the kind of scrutiny we get today. But privacy is an issue for everyone now and not just celebrities. With the internet and social media, almost everyone is facing a loss of privacy.

Q: Why do you think you’ve been able to remain close to your producing partner Grant Heslov and some of your L.A. buddies for so long.?

CLOONEY: You always remember the hard times and the people who stayed with you for the ride. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve stayed close to pretty much the same group of guys I met and hung out with in L.A. when I first arrived there basically broke and not having a clue how I was going to make it as an actor. Nearly thirty years later we still get to hang out and have fun together.

Q: Are there any films which you’re very fond of but which the public might not ordinarily think of as being your best work?

CLOONEY: I’m very proud of Good Night and Good Luck and I hope people remember Out of Sight which was my first film with Steven Soderbergh.

Q: Do you ever have serious disagreements with your directors?

CLOONEY: There have been the occasional differences of opinion. Usually if you are faced with doing a scene that you find embarrassing or you really hate doing you will sometimes tell yourself, “This better work or I’m going to really hurt the director.” (Smiles)

Q: What about your run-in with David O. Russell on Three Kings (in 1999)?

CLOONEY: He was abusive to some crew members and I explained to him (by putting Russell in a head-lock) that that kind of thing is not going to happen while I’m around. You need to teach bullies like that a lesson.

Q: What’s your favourite reaction you’ve had from fans who meet you?

CLOONEY: “Hey, you don’t look so good up close!”

Q: Do you still miss Max your beloved pot-bellied pig?

CLOONEY: Yeah, Max was terrific. It was the longest relationship of my life…Max and I spent 15 years together. Women had different reactions to Max over the years. But I always said, “Love me, love my pig.”

He was pretty good at testing some of the women I brought home. If he didn’t like a girl, he would screech and chase them around the house and then I knew she wasn’t right for me…He was a helluva pig! /Viva Press

LornaDoone wrote:The answers to the questions may be true, but I do believe this was just someone (at that company I mentioned) taking a bunch of interview answers and putting this article together just to be disseminated on the internet - providing "readable" content for that particular site without them having to try to get an interview from George.

LizzyNY wrote:Sorry, Mazy! Typo.