George Clooney covers The Hollywood Reporter, belatedly shilling for the Oscars trail as did Brad Pitt a few weeks ago.
Speaking of Pitt, in his interview, Clooney reveals that he rarely sees his friend: “Brad is one of the great guys. We’re good friends, but it’s different from what people think, meaning we don’t spend a lot of time together. He has been to my home in Como; we motorcycle together. But until recently, I hadn’t seen Brad in a year.”
On being a part-time lush then quitting drinking: ‘I drink at times too much. I do enjoy drinking, and there have been times in my life when it’s crossed the line from being fun to having to drink late at night for absolutely no reason. So what I do is, I stop. I haven’t had a drink since New Year’s Eve.’
On gaining a little perspective in his career: ‘There’s this turning point,. When you first start out, you are just happy to get a job, any job. And as time goes on, either you move forward or screech to a halt.’
On weird sleep patterns and why he’s in bed by 10:00 p.m. almost every night: He wakes up often throughout the night and requires the flickering of the TV in order to doze off. ‘Turning off the television causes me to think, and once I start that vision roaring, I have a very tough time getting to sleep… I’m able to numb out,’ he says, though even with the TV on, ‘Without question, I wake every night five times.’
On marriage (almost nice to see a guy harassed about this as would be a woman of the same age): ‘A couple of years ago, [Brad Pitt] really nailed me. He did one of those shows and they asked him when he was going to marry [Angelina Jolie], and he said, ‘I’ll marry when George can legally marry [a man].’ He really got me badly, something I have had to deal with the past few years. But I could give a shit. I have to live in the world that I care about and that’s all that matters.’ Once divorced, from actress Talia Balsam, Clooney hasn’t ruled out getting married again, but it’s not on his mind either: ‘I don’t even think about it, really.’
On being lonely: ‘Anyone would be lying if they said they didn’t get lonely at times. The loneliest you will get is in the most public of arenas: You will go to a place and end up in the smallest compartment possible, because it’s a distraction to everybody, and you end up not getting to enjoy it like everyone else. I have been infinitely more alone in a bad relationship; there’s nothing more isolating. I have been in places in my life where that has existed.’
On being Fox News-ed: ‘Fox News and other places were calling me a traitor,’ Clooney says of his opposition to the war in Iraq. ‘I called my dad and said, ‘Am I in trouble?’ And he said, ‘Grow up. You’ve got money. You’ve got a job. You can’t demand freedom of speech and then say, ‘But don’t say bad things about me.” And he was right.’ – via The Hollywood Reporter.
