Of course this new, extensive, exhaustive “interview” with George Clooney has the reek of bullsh-t. Of course, that stench could be Elisabetta Canalis. Too much? Eh. Anyway, Clooney allegedly gave this interview to The Sun, and I’m pretty sure some of these quotes are from other interviews Clooney has given in the past few years. Either that of Clooney is just repeating himself endlessly, on a loop. Which isn’t the weirdest thought, honestly. I think Clooney has talking points that he goes to, which means that some of his interviews kind of sound the same. Other stars are like that too. Whatever. I did find some of the stuff interesting, though, and I do think some of it MIGHT be new. The full Sun piece is here, and here are the highlights:

On the circus aspect of celebrity: “It’s much easier for me to hang out with friends at a restaurant in Laglio or a lot of other small villages and towns without 50 photographers showing up in half an hour. My life over there takes me away from the circus aspects of being a celebrity and that’s a pleasant change for me.

On the ease of Italy: “Unfortunately Laglio is turning into a bit of a tourist mecca now and so I have to be a little more careful whenever I’m there – either that, or I should just stand at the entrance to the village handing out tourist brochures. I don’t really worry about that though. Whenever I want, I can always stage a diversion and invite Brad and Angie and their 15 children to come over. Then I can sneak away to the other side of the lake by boat and do whatever I want.”

On his personal life faltering while he concentrated on his career: “I was working so hard on my film projects that for a time I basically didn’t even think very much about how my personal life was evolving. I didn’t care, in the sense that I didn’t have a family or children to look after and that I wasn’t involved in any long-term relationships.”

On buying a home in Laglio (another name for Lake Como): “What changed my life in a very pleasant and unexpected way was buying the villa in Laglio. That was a pure investment decision – I thought maybe I would spend a few weeks vacationing there. But then I realised how beautiful life was in Italy and how it really helped calm me and not feel so pressured. I could also work very productively and bring my friends over to keep me company.”

On Darfur: “I’ve been honoured to be able to lend my celebrity to help wherever I can, especially on behalf of the United Nations. But in the case of Darfur it’s been the greatest failure of my life. With other people, we’ve been able to get a lot of attention focused on the terrible situation there and nothing has changed. It’s very frustrating.”

Learning politics from his old man: “My dad believed there’s a right way to live and a right way to run a government. So he has never shied away from speaking his mind on certain issues and being politically outspoken even if that cost him his job or made his life difficult. So I grew up appreciating the meaning of the notion of integrity and I owe that to my father.”

On not wanting to make blockbusters: “There was so much hype around my being Batman and then I nearly killed the franchise and my career along with it. I also didn’t want to do a lot of easy romantic comedies. I wanted to make films like Three Kings and Out Of Sight because those kinds of films are trying to push the envelope and have a chance to leave some kind of mark.”

Keeping work and pleasure separate: “You have to be willing to work hard to create your own sense of freedom and that’s where the real art of living comes in. I probably have as much fun as anyone but I’m extremely disciplined when it comes to dividing my time between work and play. I don’t even drink as much as I used to because I just can’t stand wasting the next day recovering from a hangover any more.”

On luck versus creativity: “I grew up around famous people. In the world I grew up in – Cincinnati, Ohio – my father was a big star as a TV news anchorman and my Aunt Rosemary was one of the most popular singers in America. But I learnt from how her career sank in the Sixties. I saw how little it has to do with you. It’s all about luck. The problem with famous people in general is that they actually think they’re geniuses. You get famous and you think, ‘Yes, of course I should be famous and I’ve earned it all’. You haven’t, though. You got lucky. I got lucky.”

On his future work plans: “I still feel I haven’t done my best work although I’ve at least put myself in the position where I can keep doing what I love and enjoy the process. That, for me, is what it’s all about. I’ve had a pretty good plan which I’ve been following for the last ten years or so in terms of becoming a director, developing my own projects and taking my work to the next level. I even have a bit of a personal life these days. I don’t want to make anyone sick, but things are going pretty well for me.”

[From The Sun]

Is it bullsh-tty or is it authentic? I don’t know. The last parts, about Darfur and about his future in the industry seem new. And I do think he probably said that bit about “I even have a bit of a personal life these days. I don’t want to make anyone sick, but things are going pretty well for me” sometime in the last week. Because I think Elisabetta is still around, bless her heart. She’s putting in the time and effort, isn’t she? She must be just as kinky as him.

By the way, Rotten Tomatoes has The American at 59%. Not awesome, but not terrible. Roger Ebert liked it (review here), but I started to fall asleep just trying to read what the damn film was about, so my guess is that it’s very dark and slow and you’re supposed to think that it is intense, not boring.

Also: Clooney and Elisabetta were out in West Hollywood last night. I love this photo… Eli always knows where the camera is.

Clooney on August 3, 2010, in Italy. Credit: WENN.