Hollywood star George Clooney has dismissed ever going back to making romantic comedies, admitting his age is no longer right for such movies. Now aged 63, Clooney is set to play journalist Edward R. Murrow in the Broadway staging of Good Night, and Good Luck, something he feels he is ready for at last.
Appearing on 60 Minutes, Clooney looked back on his career as an actor, stating, "Murrow had a gravitas to him that at 42 years old I didn't — I wasn't able to pull off. Look, I'm 63 years old. I'm not trying to compete with 25-year-old leading men. That's not my job. I'm not doing romantic films anymore."
The Ocean's Eleven actor also acknowledged that previously in his career, he might not have been ready for the rigor of a Broadway show. "I don't know that I could've (done it before). I didn't do the work required to get there. I mean, there isn't a single actor alive that wouldn't have loved to have, you know, been on Broadway. So that's — that's the fun of it."
Looking back on his own life, Clooney recently explained that he at first didn't think he stood a chance with his current wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, whom he wed in 2014. The 17 years between the actor and Amal seemed to slip the actor's mind when speaking to The New York Times about the first time he met Amal, saying, "I wasn't really in the market for being a dad. Then I met Amal and we fell in love.". I have to admit that, after that, everything fell into place. (When we first met) I was like 'Oh my God!
' Then I didn't think I'd really stand much of a chance with her because I was 17 years older and she seemed to have everything she needed."
Clooney, whose twins Alexander and Ella he has with Amal, pondered aging on his 60th birthday. He remembered saying to his wife, "Look, I can still play full-court basketball. I can still run around. I can still do pretty much everything I did when I was 30. But in 30 years, I'm 90. There are some things you're not doing [at that age] no matter how many granola bars you eat."
The actor also disclosed that his priorities have changed, with more emphasis on enjoying the years to come than his work. "I said to Amal, 'We have to concentrate on the next 20, 25 years of cramming in as much as we can. Not work, because nobody at the end of their life says, 'God, I wish I worked more…'" With a clearer vision on both his professional and personal life, Clooney appears to be entering this new chapter with purpose, focusing on substantive projects and quality time with his family.
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