NEED TO KNOW
- George Clooney spoke exclusively to PEOPLE during the Jay Kelly premiere at Alice Truly Hall in New York on Monday, Sept. 29
- The actor, 64, says he’s “very lucky” not to have to pay people to surround him like the movie’s titular character
- “I’ve been very lucky to have great family and great friends, and my kids actually like me still,” the actor — who shares 8-year-old twins Ella and Alexander with his wife Amal — joked at the event
George Clooney is cherishing the love of his two children.
While attending the premiere of his upcoming movie, Jay Kelly, at Alice Truly Hall during the New York Film Festival, the actor, 64, spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about the differences between himself and the titular character.
“We have the same hair and we’re the same height,” Clooney quips of the fictional character who goes on a journey of self-discovery alongside his manager Ron, played by Adam Sandler.
“There [aren’t] that many similarities in a weird way, because he’s a guy who’s just so sad about his career and his life, because he didn’t have friends and family.
“He surrounded himself with people that he paid,” Clooney continues, adding, “And I’ve been very lucky to not have to do that.”
“I’ve been very lucky to have great family and great friends, and my kids actually like me still,” he jokes, deadpanning, “They’re young.”
The Ocean’s Eleven star and his wife, Amal Clooney, welcomed their twins, Alexander and Ella, in June 2017, and the pair have made a conscious effort to maintain their children’s privacy in the years since.
Clooney made a rare admission about teaching his son a valuable life lesson during a Feb. 18 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Clooney shared that Alexander is a keen chess player but doesn’t always win his tournaments.
“He’s 7 years old, [and] playing a lot of older kids,” the Ticket to Paradise star told Colbert. “He’s not winning all the time, as you can imagine. And he gets upset, and I said, ‘Listen, you shake the guy’s hand and say good game, I’ll get you next time.’ And, that’s kind of how you got to live by those rules.”
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The actor also hinted at his 8-year-old’s musical tastes in another rare comment back in June, while revealing the twins don’t have much knowledge of movie legends.
“They want to see Taylor Swift,” he told E! News, while attending the 2025 Tony Awards.
“The funniest part is that they have no idea of references. Robert DeNiro will be at the house and they’re like, ‘Who’s that?’ They don’t care,” Clooney added.
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