George Clooney was feeling the love inside the Sala Grande theater on September 1 following the premiere of his new movie, Wolfs, at the Venice Film Festival. During a four-minute standing ovation, the smiling actor clapped along and shared a heartfelt hug with his costar and longtime friend, Brad Pitt, before the pair playfully danced to Sade’s “Smooth Operator.”
The screening was just one of many highlights of George’s visit 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 — enjoyed a double date at Ristorante da Ivo with Pitt and his girlfriend, Ines de Ramon, where George pretended to be a waiter and posed for photos with staffers at the Italian eatery. Later, on the red carpet, the actor sweetly helped a photographer who’d fallen to the ground, then sat with a group of delighted paparazzo members and tinkered with one of their cameras.
On September 3, George and Amal departed Venice in a water taxi, leaving the fanfare behind and returning to their quiet life in France with their 7-year-old twins, Ella and Alexander. At 63, it’s clear George has found his sweet spot, balancing his career — which is still going strong after 40 years — with family time at home alongside Amal and the kids.
“George loves where he’s at in life,” a source exclusively shares in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “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 most famous people in the world for decades, but he’s never been completely comfortable with superstardom or the attention he garners. “A lot of people — even 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 there’s, I dunno, five or six of us where it’s just never subsided. And there’s never been that like, ‘Hey, let’s take a walk through Central Park and not get hammered.’ It just hasn’t happened yet.”
Privacy is of the utmost importance to him and Amal. “We have to work hard at [it],” he said. It’s partly why they moved to the south of France in 2021. (Their sprawling, $8.3 million 18th-century estate is just a few miles from Pitt’s Château Miraval spread.)
“The property is magical,” the source says. “They have hundreds of acres, a vineyard and olive trees, and the kids can be outside and totally protected. There’s a small village nearby with shops. It’s a very simple life, and George loves it.”
Living The Dream
Settling down with Amal transformed the A-lister, who was considered Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor for years before he met 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 confessed.
A second source tells Us that George “wasn’t really interested” in settling down before he met Amal. “He had an amazing career, wonderful friends and felt very fulfilled. [But] once he fell in love with Amal, George [realized] how much he was missing.” Adds a third source: “George didn’t think he’d ever meet someone like Amal. He’s totally enamored with her. She’s so intelligent, a great conversationalist and everyone loves her.”
The first source tells Us the Clooneys “are one of the most stable couples in Hollywood. They have a deep respect for each other and they don’t suffocate one another — they’ve each maintained their own careers and there’s no jealousy or codependency. It’s a very healthy partnership.” Adds the second source: “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 revealed he and Amal have “never had an argument.”)
George is a hands-on dad to Ella and Alexander. Back in 2021, the Gravity star shared that he and Amal chose not to have a full-time nanny for the kids, saying, “We don’t, because it’s so important to Amal [to be involved],” adding that being home alone with the twins during the pandemic was rough. “I felt like my mother in 1964,” he joked, “doing dishes and six loads of laundry a day.” The first source says life in the Clooney household is fun. (George is a famous prankster and has said he’s teaching his kids to follow in his footsteps.) “George is a loving and playful dad. He’s always cracking jokes, and Amal is just as quick. There are a lot of laughs.”
The pair go on date nights when they can, recently stepping out for dinner at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo in Lake Como, Italy, where they also own a villa. They also enjoy entertaining at home. “Amal and George are known for throwing fantastic dinner parties that go until all hours,” says the source, noting that they’ll likely go on a quick getaway to celebrate their upcoming anniversary. Adds the third source: “George has always been a romantic and makes big gestures, including planning trips.”
He remains close with his Ocean’s Eleven costars, 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 article, George and Pitt confirmed they are indeed tight. “We’ve been friends for a long time,” said George. “And it’s fun because we also check in on each other every once in a while, which is an important part of this. Things get complicated in life, and you always have to make sure everybody’s OK.”
Looking Ahead
The acclaimed director and producer — he won an Academy Award in 2012 for coproducing Argo — plans to focus mostly on acting for 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,” he noted. “We’re not going to uproot our kids out of school.”
He’s set to appear in an upcoming untitled Noah Baumbach film with Adam Sandler and in September 2025, he’ll star in Good Night, and Good Luck on Broadway. (He directed the movie version in 2005.) But he won’t take on anything else.
“I’m going to give myself time with my kids,” he told GQ. “I really enjoy driving them to school, and my wife and I are having a really wonderful time. So I don’t want to lose all of that. We’re still trying to do things and new things, but we’re also saying, ‘Well, let’s also remember that we want to see our life in a kind of nice way too.’ A little of both. Everything in moderation.”
Deal of the Day
His priorities are in order. These days, George “wants to enjoy more time with his family. He’s fortunate [that he doesn’t] have to worry so much about work,” says the third source, noting that Amal is involved when it comes to his career. “Everything is a family decision.” While the star still looks and feels great, “he’s not in denial about getting older,” says the first source. “He’s sentimental about the good years he has left with his kids and his wife — and he lets that guide his actions.”
For more on George, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
With reporting by Sarah Jones & Andrea Simpson
Source people.com
