Amal Clooney and George Clooney attend the 2nd Annual Academy Museum Gala at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on October 15, 2022 in Los Angeles, California© Amy Sussman,Getty

George and Amal Clooney's twins Ella and Alexander influenced major career change

The Ticket to Paradise actor is a father of two

Senior Features Writer
Updated: August 16, 2024

George and Amal Clooney are clearly devoted parents. The extremely famous couple, who wed in 2014, are mother and father to seven-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella, and go to great lengths to protect their privacy from the glare of the spotlight.

But the ER actor, 63, has now shared that his two children have also influenced a change in his career trajectory as they've got older.

In a GQ Magazine profile featuring close pal and collaborator Brad Pitt, George opened up about his decision to shift his focus away from directing big Hollywood projects over the last decade, instead choosing to focus on taking on acting roles as a priority.

© Jeff Spicer

George Clooney and Amal Clooney attend "The Tender Bar" Premiere during the 65th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 10, 2021 in London, England

 "The main reason is that it is a year on the road to direct, and now my kids are of a certain age," the Oscar winner explained. "We're not going to uproot our kids out of school and run around."

George continued: "Before that, they could just come with us and we would all go. But that's different now. So now I'm going to just probably focus on other things, like acting."

It's clear the Ocean's 11 actor is more willing to appear in the cast of other creatives' work, instead of heading up a big-budget blockbuster.

The father-of-two has a few in the pipeline: he will star in the cast of a new Noah Baumbach film, which is yet to be titled; and he's also appearing alongside Brad in the new Apple TV+ movie, Wolfs.

The Gravity star is also set to make his debut on Broadway next year in the stage adaptation of his 2005 film, Good Night, And Good Luck.

Elsewhere in the conversation, George explained how he is fiercely protective of his children and how it takes hard work to conceal their identity.

"I have a goal of trying to protect. I don’t want pictures of my kids. 

© Backgrid

Goerge and Amal Clooney have a chateau in the south of France

"We deal in very serious subject matters, with very serious bad guys, and we don't want to have photos of our kids out there. So we have to work hard at trying to stay private, and it's tricky, as you can imagine."

George and Amal, 46, who is a human rights barristers and law professor, spend a lot of their time in Europe which certainly helps when it comes to their privacy.

The pair own a stunning chateau in Brignoles, Provence, which sits on vast land.

© FREDERIC J. BROWN

US actor George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney attend the LA premiere of Amazon MGM Studios' "The Boys in the boat"

They purchased the home, estimated to be around $8.3m, in 2021 and have quietly resided there ever since.

The Clooneys blend in with the locals well and are often seen popping into local bakeries and restaurants in the idyllic and quiet town nestled in the south of France.

The couple also have a huge villa complex in Laglio, on Lake Como in northern Italy, and they have a mansion in the sleepy town of Sonning in the English countryside. 

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