On September 1, George Clooney was feeling the love inside the Sala Grande theater, following the Venice Film Festival presentation of his new film, Wolfs. During a four-minute standing ovation, the happy actor clapped and hugged his costar and longtime friend, Brad Pitt, before the two danced to Sade’s “Smooth Operator.” The screening was just one of many highlights from George’s trip to Venice with his wife, Amal.
Ahead of the Wolfs screening, he and the 46-year-old human rights lawyer, who will celebrate their 10-year wedding anniversary on September 27, went on a double date to Ristorante da Ivo with Pitt and his girlfriend, Ines de Ramon, where George pretended to be a waiter and posed for photos with restaurant staff. Later, on the red carpet, the actor kindly assisted a photographer who had fallen to the ground, before sitting with a group of ecstatic paparazzi and tinkering with one of their cameras.
On September 3, George and Amal boarded a water taxi from Venice, leaving the festivities behind and returning to their tranquil life in France with their 7-year-old twins, Ella and Alexander. At 63, George has clearly found his sweet spot, mixing his business — which is still going strong after 40 years — with family time at home with Amal and their children.
“George loves where he’s at in life,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively. “He enjoys what he does and has no plans to retire, but he also knows there’s more important things in the world than making movies.”Protecting Their Peace. The Kentucky-born actor has been one of the world’s most famous persons for decades, yet he has never been totally happy with his celebrity or the attention he receives.
“A lot of people — even those who reach a fairly high level of fame — find a way to be able to kind of live a normal life, walk around the streets of New York without being followed, and stuff like that,” he recently told GQ magazine, as part of a joint cover story with Pitt. “And for about five or six of us, it’s never stopped. And there’s never been the, ‘Hey, let’s go for a walk in Central Park without getting hammered.’ It simply hasn’t happened yet.
Privacy is really important to him and Amal. “We have to work hard at [it],” he remarked. It’s one of the reasons they moved to the south of France in 2021. (Their enormous, $8.3 million 18th-century mansion is only a few miles from Pitt’s Château Miraval compound.) “The property is magical,” the source claims. “They have hundreds of acres, a vineyard, and olive trees, and the children can play outside while remaining completely safe. There is a little village nearby with shops. George enjoys the simplicity of his life.
Settling down with Amal altered the A-lister, who was regarded as Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor for years before meeting her through a mutual friend in 2013. “All I know is that it sort of changed everything in terms of what I thought my future — my personal future — was going to be,” he told the reporter. A second insider tells Us that George “wasn’t really interested” in settling down before meeting Amal. “He had a fantastic career, good friends, and felt quite fulfilled. [But] after falling in love with Amal, George realized how much he was missing.” Added a third source: “George never thought he’d meet someone like Amal. He’s completely taken with her. She’s extremely brilliant, an excellent conversationalist, and everyone adores her.”
The first insider tells Us that the Clooneys are “one of the most stable couples in Hollywood.” They have a strong respect for one another and do not suffocate one another – they have each pursued their own jobs, and there is no envy or codependency. It’s a pretty healthy partnership. The second source concurs: “They always make it a point to keep an open line of communication when they can’t be together and make sure they’re both equally present for their children as often as possible.” (In a 2022 interview with CBS, George said that he and Amal have “never had an argument.”
George is a hands-on father to Ella and Alexander. Back in 2021, the Gravity star revealed that he and Amal chose not to employ a full-time nanny for the kids, saying, “We don’t, because it’s so important to Amal [to be involved],” and that staying at home alone with the twins during the epidemic was difficult. “I felt like my mother in 1964,” he recalled, “doing dishes and six loads of laundry a day.” The first source claims that living in the Clooney household is enjoyable. (George, a famous prankster, has stated that he is instructing his children to follow in his footsteps.) “George is a kind and playful father. He’s always cracking jokes, and Amal is equally as quick. There are plenty of laughs.”
The couple enjoys date nights whenever possible, most recently dining at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo in Lake Como, Italy, where they also own a property. They also enjoy entertaining at home. “Amal and George are known for throwing fantastic dinner parties that last until all hours,” says the source, who adds that they’ll probably go on a quick getaway to commemorate their next anniversary. According to the third source, “George has always been a romantic and makes big gestures, including planning trips.”
He remains close to his Ocean’s Eleven co-stars, including Pitt, Julia Roberts, and Matt Damon. “There aren’t many people to whom George can relate,” says the first source. “Julia and Brad are on the same wavelength.” In the GQ piece, George and Pitt revealed their close relationship. “We’ve been friends for a long time,” George explained. “And it’s nice because we check in with one other on a regular basis, which is an important aspect of this.
Things get complicated in life, and you constantly have to make sure everyone is fine.”The celebrated director and producer, who earned an Academy Award in 2012 for co-producing Argo, intends to focus on acting in the near future. “The main reason is that it’s a year on the road to direct, and now my kids are of a certain age,” remarked the filmmaker. “We’re not going to uproot our kids out of school.”
He’s going to co-star with Adam Sandler in an untitled Noah Baumbach picture, and he’ll play Good Night, and Good Luck on Broadway in September 2025. (He directed the film adaptation in 2005.) But he refuses to take on anything else.”I’m going to give myself some time with my kids,” he told GQ. “I enjoy driving them to school, and my wife and I are having a great time. So I do not want to lose all of that.
We’re still striving to accomplish new things, but we’re also saying, ‘Well, let’s remember that we want to see our lives in a positive light as well.’ A bit of both. “Everything in moderation.” His priorities are in order. George now wants to spend more time with his family. He’s fortunate [that he doesn’t] have to worry too much about work,” says the third source, who adds that Amal is interested in his profession. “Everything is a family decision.” While the actor still looks and feels good, “he’s not in denial about getting older,” according to the first insider. “He’s sentimental about the good years he has left with his kids and his wife — and he lets that guide his actions.”