Before achieving mega-star status, George Clooney learned a thing or two about navigating fame from none other than Hollywood great Paul Newman.
Clooney, 64, was playing hunky Dr. Doug Ross on ER when he crossed paths with the late Newman, who was filming the 1999 movie Message in a Bottle.
Funny enough, however, Newman had ‘no idea’ who Clooney was.
Clooney recalled the advice during a joint interview with his Jay Kelly co-star Adam Sandler and director Noah Baumbach, revealing how Newman’s words of wisdom has remained with him to this day.
‘I’m not as good at getting out as you are. I have a tendency to go, ‘If I go out, that’s going to be an extra hour of talking to people.’ Paul Newman actually talked about this to me,’ he told the New York Times.
‘When I first met him, he was at Warner Bros. doing ‘Message in a Bottle’ and I was on ‘ER.’ Newman was sitting outside smoking a cigarette, so I pulled up in the golf cart and was like, ‘Hey, just wanted to say hi.’
Before achieving mega-star status, George Clooney learned a thing or two about navigating fame from none other than Hollywood great Paul Newman
Clooney, 64, was playing hunky Dr. Doug Ross on ER when he crossed paths with the late Newman
Newman was filming the 1999 movie Message In A Bottle when he shared his wisdom about balancing privacy with a social life
‘He had no idea who I was, but everybody who came by on golf carts was like, ‘Hey, George.’ ‘George!’ So bit by bit, he figured out I was successful in the industry in some way.
‘Then he goes, ‘George, don’t let them keep you at home.’ He meant very specifically that tendency to isolate because you’re trying to hold onto some privacy. My tendency at that moment was to stay in, and hearing Newman say that, it made sense immediately.’
The wisdom has remained with Clooney, who has now achieved mega-star status in Hollywood.
Now Clooney is playing a movie star in his newest film, Jay Kelly, which sees him take on the role of an actor who ‘always plays himself’.
In the first trailer for the film, the actor is seen questioning his life choices, despite being fawned over by fans and staff.
On a trip to an Italian film festival in his honour, joined by his manager, played by Sandler, he’s hailed as the ‘hero of cinema’ before being brutally asked about always playing himself.
To which he snaps back: ‘You know how difficult it is to be yourself? You try it.’
Clooney’s character is seen continually reminding himself that he is ‘Jay Kelly’ as he and his pal embark on a whirlwind trip through Europe, as it appears the glamour of showbiz has lost its appeal.
The movie is directed by Greta’s husband and fellow Barbie scribe Noah Baumbach, who wrote the script alongside British actress Emily Mortimer.
Clooney has never forgotten the advice given to him by Newman, who passed at 83 in 2008
Funny enough, Newman had no idea who Clooney was
Now Clooney is a Hollywood legend, and has never gotten Newman’s wisdom
He currently stars opposite Adam Sandler in Jay Kelly
The official synopsis reads: ‘Two middle-aged friends rediscover their youthful spirit during a chaotic weekend reunion, facing hilarious mishaps and heartfelt moments that force them to finally grow up.’
Clooney has had an illustrious career spanning 40 years, in which he’s bagged an Academy Award for his role in Syriana in addition to a wealth of other accolades.
But during a recent interview with Variety, the Ocean’s 11 star was asked about the doubts about his range as an actor, with Clooney furiously snapping back: ‘Do people say that I only play myself? I don’t give a sh*t.’
Echoing a quote from his character in the upcoming project, Jay Kelly, he added: ‘Have you ever tried playing yourself? It’s hard to do.’
The Hollywood hunk continued: ‘I’ve been the beneficiary of having my career not be massively successful in lots of different directions.
‘I didn’t really get successful, in the kind of success that can be blinding, until I was 33 years old [when ER began]. I’d been working for 12 years at that point.
‘I had a real understanding of how fleeting all of it is and how little it has to do with you, quite honestly.’
