George Clooney, me and the brown hair
George Clooney fell in love with Amsterdam
Sorry in advance, but I'm about to make you intensely jealous. I actually sat in a hotel room with George Clooney. At least for about fifteen minutes. Jealous? I knew it. Now for the nuance: I got to interview George Clooney for a movie. Solaris, you can skip as far as I'm concerned. The conversation took place at hotel The Dylan on the Amsterdam canal.
The most beautiful suite and snow: George was sold
The Dylan – which by the way was called something else back then – is one of the most beautiful hotels in Amsterdam. We were in a suite with a view of the canals and I believe it was just starting to snow. George said he definitely wanted to come back here and shoot another film. And so it happened: Ocean’s 12 was partly filmed in Amsterdam.
Clooney here, Pitt there: hotel hopping in Hollywood style
A small downside for The Dylan: although George Clooney fell head over heels in love with Amsterdam, Brad Pitt usually slept in the Pulitzer Hotel, just a little further down the road. Also a lovely hotel, by the way. There I later interviewed Lucas Bravo – also known as Gabriel from Emily in Paris. Do you hate me now? That's fine. But a small consolation: actors are often so different in real life than on screen.
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George Clooney was... small?
Lucas Bravo turned out to be much more alternative than his character. And George? He was really quite small. Small, but incredibly nice and fun. He had just broken his leg and was on crutches – which didn't help much with his sexy Hollywood image. And me? I had just started dating the man who would later become the father of my children. No Clooney or Pitt coming between us.
Clooney, the piglet and Italy love
That was back when George Clooney had a little piglet as a pet and had to swat girls away. Long before Amal made her entrance. We had a nice conversation where we sang the praises of our love for Italy and then we went our separate ways again.
No engagement ring-in-the-vault-Clooney hysteria here
Years later, I told De Wereld Draait Door about George Clooney. I was probably the only woman who wouldn't put her engagement ring in the vault for a meeting with him. But he was nice. And still is.
Clooney with brown hair? No way, for a role
I saw George recently in an interview with Gayle King – you know, Oprah's BFF and the woman who was briefly shot into space. George said he had dyed his gray hair brown. Result? “I went from one of the most handsome men in the world to a second-hand car salesman.” Luckily it was for a role – that of journalist Edward R. Murrow in Good Night and Good Luck.
But why I really fell for George again…
That was when he talked about Amal. How he thought he would always remain single and never have children. And now? Twelve years together with the love of his life. Twins Ella and Alexander included. And then he says so dryly: “We’ve never had an argument.” No fuss about late arrivals or unnecessary online purchases. “I’m just with the most wonderful woman that exists.”
George Clooney: gray, small, hilarious and so in love
And you know George? She is too. Although I’m happily sticking with my man.
The Clooney family: love, luxury and Lake Como
#familygoals much?
George Clooney may have been the most sought-after bachelor in Hollywood for years, but nowadays he is just the ultimate family man. And all thanks to Amal Alamuddin – international top lawyer, human rights activist and absolute style goddess. They met in 2013, fell in love at lightning speed and exchanged vows in 2014 during a fairy-tale wedding in Venice. Think: gondolas, glamour and Cindy Crawford and Matt Damon as guests. Yes, it was such a wedding.
Amal, born in Lebanon and raised in London, specializes in human rights law and defends, among others, Julian Assange and the Ukrainian government. Smart and super stylish – no wonder George was completely taken aback. He once said he knew right away: “This is the woman I want to grow old with.”
In 2017, George and Amal welcomed twins: Ella and Alexander. They surprisingly keep the couple out of the spotlight quite a bit, but occasionally a juicy detail slips through. Like the fact that Alexander spoke fluent Italian at a young age, much to George's hilarity – who still struggles with his pasta Italian.
The family alternates between their villa on Lake Como (yes, the one with the envy-inducing garden and view of the water), a country house in Berkshire, England, and an apartment in New York. Pretty much all the places you would want to nestle if you were named Clooney.
George often says that at 50 he thought family life was not for him anymore. But Amal and the twins changed everything. “Life is so much richer now,” he says. And honestly: if you have an Italian villa, a power woman, and two kids with humor... What more do you want?
Source:
Check out the exclusive wedding report of George and Amal Clooney in Vanity Fair
