George Clooney says he deliberately chose to raise his children far from Hollywood to protect them from the pressures of fame and the culture surrounding it.
“A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid I hated the whole idea of it. But now, for them, it’s like—they’re not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life,” Clooney said.
The 64-year-old actor, director, and producer said that while he once thrived in Hollywood’s fast-paced environment, he worried about what that world would mean for his children.
“I was worried about raising our kids in L.A., in the culture of Hollywood,” he continued. “I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life. France—they kind of don’t give a [expletive] about fame. I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids.”
Clooney, who rose to fame through the medical drama series “ER” before becoming one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars, said that life overseas provides his family with a more grounded environment. He and his wife, who married in 2014, also own homes in England, Italy, and Kentucky, where Clooney was raised.
While the family primarily resides in Europe, they temporarily relocated to New York City earlier this year while Clooney performed in the Broadway adaptation of his 2005 film “Good Night, and Good Luck.”
During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in February, he said the move offered a refreshing change of pace. “They love being here,” he said of his family. “Actually, a play is kind of a good schedule in a way because you’re working at night and you get to see the kids during the day.”
Amal Clooney has also spoken about the challenges of protecting her family’s privacy in the public eye.
