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George Clooney has a surefire way for staying out of trouble as a public figure in the age of social media: stay off of it.
In a profile for the Washington Post published on Friday, the Oscar-winning actor said he manages to avoid too much exposure to todayโs 24/7 media cycle by not engaging on those platforms, which he acknowledges would be problematic โif I have three drinks at night.โ
He also shared, โI donโt think you can be a star and be that available.โ
It was part of a larger conversation in which Clooney identified how certain movie stars that came before him like Gregory Peck and Paul Newman โ both of whom were friends of his before they died โ exemplified how to carry oneself in the spotlight.
โIt doesnโt mean you canโt be goofy and do stupid things, but it means stand up for the things you believe in, carry yourself with a little bit of dignity,โ the โTicket to Paradiseโ star said. โAnd both of them had great humor about themselves.โ
Clooney, who is being honored at the Kennedy Center this month alongside Gladys Knight and U2, among others, is active in humanitarian efforts in addition to his pursuits as an actor, producer and director.
Ethan Hawke, who directed Clooney in a voice role as Newman in this yearโs HBO documentary โThe Last Movie Stars,โ observed that itโs no surprise heโs getting such a prestigious honor. (CNN and HBO Max are both part of the same parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.)
โItโs interesting that heโs getting the Kennedy Center Honors this year because Newman got it too. They fit in a long line of really responsible artists, people who make a contribution to American culture and are civic leaders,โ Hawke told the Post. โWhether you like Georgeโs politics, or admire where he gives his money and time, you have to admire his willingness to lead, and his willingness to care.โ
Steven Soderbergh, whose 1998 masterpiece โOut of Sightโ starred Clooney opposite Jennifer Lopez, said the actor is unique for not caring that his politics might compromise the reach of his stardom.
โThe default mode really doesnโt lead you to a place of thinking about fairness, or defending people who canโt defend themselves. Itโs great when people use that juice for those purposes, but thatโs not the way the stream flows,โ Soderbergh said of Clooneyโs efforts through his Clooney Foundation for Justice alongside wife Amal, a human rights attorney.
โThe stream flows in the direction of self-orientation and being in a mode of extracting whatever you can from this business, and whatever you can from the world at large. โฆ Heโs one of the few people who punches upward. Thatโs rare.โ
Clooney will be featured as part of the Kennedy Center Honors on December 28 at 8 p.m. on CBS.
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