IT must be great to be a friend of actor George Clooney. In a recent interview with GQ, Clooney confirmed the generous gifts that his friend Rande Gerber leaked to the press in 2017. At that time, Clooney received a windfall when his movie Gravity, which he co-starred with Sandra Bullock, became a hit in 2013.
Since it was not expected to do well at the tills, instead of receiving a salary for his work, he agreed to percentages of its earnings. He eventually walked away with a bucket of millions. As he was still single at that time, Clooney decided to share it with 14 of his closest friends. He candidly told his interviewer, Zach Baron, why he did that to his friends: “You know, without them I don’t have any of this. And we’re all really close, and I just thought, basically, if I get hit by a bus, they’re all in the will. So why the f**k am I waiting to get hit by a bus?” So he called his friends to his place, and held up to them a map and pointed to all the places he visited around the world and all the things he’d done and gone because of them. Finally, he said to them, how do I repay you? Clooney answered his own question: “Oh, well: How about a million bucks?” And he handed each of his awe-struck chum a cool $1 million. He is a soul friend—not casual and transitory. One that stays in good times and in bad. He has given other people close to him a better chance in life to live on their dreams. No doubt, Clooney is this year’s GQ Icon of the Year, a well-deserved honor. He was a recipient of the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award. His estimated net worth is half a billion dollars. Clooney is married to lawyer activist, Amal Alamuddin Clooney. She’s a successful, respected and dreaded human rights lawyer and defender. Clooney is a father of twins, Alexander and Ella. What more can you ask? Clooney does not ask; he gives.
Clooney’s friend and business partner, Grant Heslov, said of him: “He’s just a generally good and nice guy—that’s really who he is.” He is not just a handsome face but also a sensitive actor with a heart of gold. He uses his fame and fortune to advance the cause of humanity, which is the fight of his life. Clooney’s philanthropy extends to other people outside his immediate circles. He is known for helping others in need. And this laudable behavior continues after this most eligible bachelor got hitched to high-powered international lawyer, Amal Alamuddin. Together, the Clooneys set up the Clooney Foundation for Justice, which became their vehicle for charitable causes to promote human and social rights advocacy.
The couple is behind causes that advance the rule of law, homelessness, protection of refugees, poverty and disaster relief. They have championed the fight against global hunger particularly in the depressed countries in Africa. He produced and starred in a video entitled: “George Clooney: Hunger Crisis 2017” where he highlighted the starving population of the world. He called on his fellow Americans to support the campaign to fight hunger in Africa. The money raised from the campaign is equally divided among 8 reputable organizations including OXFAM, CARE, Save the Children and World Vision, which takes care of distributing them to the millions of hungry people around the world. Clooney personally issued an appeal by saying that “by giving we can inspire hope where hope is lost and make the world a better place.” And his benevolent work has been infectious. Clooney’s famous co-stars in the Ocean’s Eleven movie franchise, which include Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Elliot Gould, Bernie Mac, Angie Dickinson and others, joined him in forming “Not On Our Watch,” a worldwide organization dedicated to human rights. It aims to wield the powerful voices of celebrities to promote advocacy to promote human rights and other worthy international issues. For instance, the group exposes hate crimes and other extremists’ activities that oppress the colored people and other minorities. It seeks to protect the vulnerable sectors of society against discrimination and social injustice. Clooney has not played Superman, Batman or Captain America. He is not an Avatar or one of the Avengers, but Clooney is all of them rolled into one.
It feels good to watch a movie. The make-believe world of movies does not only entertain but uplifts our depressed spirit. It’s fun watching our favorite actors and they make us forget about the harsh realities of life, which grip us again the moment we step out of the movie house. But George Clooney has become a real life hero whose character has transcended the world of fantasy. He is a living, larger-than-life figure whose real life exploits are far nobler than the greatest role he has portrayed in his films. In real life, Danny Ocean has shared his bounty to the needy and the disadvantaged.