George Clooney Once Shared Why He Refused to Do Politics
George Clooney has been very open about his political beliefs. Although fans know he utilizes his celebrity to help certain political pauses, he would never run for office.
George Clooney felt being a politician was ‘hell’
Clooney has kept his pulse on politics even far before he became a movie star.
“You know, I grew up as a Democrat in Kentucky in the ’70s, so, you know, I grew up in a place — I was a minority, you know, in that world. I didn’t move to Hollywood and become a Democrat,” he once told Fox News Sunday (via E! News).
He uses his celebrity and star power to make significant contributions to the Democratic party. Last year Clooney launched a fundraiser for President Joe Biden that amassed $28 million for his reelection campaign. In the past, he launched several fundraisers for Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Because of his passion and knowledge of politics, many have wondered if the ER alum might run for a government position one day. But the actor has no interest in pursuing a second career.
“I’ve been asked about that for almost 20 years now,” Clooney once said according to Contact Music. “The answer is just no. I mean, who would ever wanna live like that?”
With close friends involved in politics, Clooney witnessed what most politicians must endure in their field. This only further discouraged him.
“I’m friends with a lot of those guys, and I just think it’s hell. I commend people who go into public service because it’s just such a horrible way to get elected. It’s such a horrible time while you’re in office. No, I wouldn’t want to be in politics; I have no interest in it,” Clooney said.
However, he did vow to use his influence to help position politics in a better, more compassionate place.
“I believe in the political process, and I believe that government at its best is designed to look after the people that can’t look after themselves,” he adds. “That’s our responsibility to hold our government to task for that. I consider that as each of our responsibility as citizens,” he said. “I’m always frustrated by it and it moves incrementally forward and sometimes it’s three steps backwards, but I still very much believe in the process and I will continue to be as much a part of it as I can be because I’m a citizen of the country.”
George Clooney hasn’t changed his mind about entering politics
It seems in his older years, Clooney seems to be less inclined to get into politics than he was before. The Michael Clayton star received a question about whether he might’ve had political aspirations after his 60th birthday. But to him, he hit a decade where he simply wanted to enjoy life and maintain his health.
“I turned 60 this year, and I had a conversation with my wife, and we were working a lot, as we both do, and I said, ‘We have to think of these as the halcyon years.’ If we have our health, which we do … and I’m 60 and I can still play basketball and still do the things I love, but in 20 years, I will be 80, and that’s a real number,” Clooney said in a 2021 interview on The Andrew Marr Show.
80 for Clooney was and still is two decades away. But it’s close enough for him to pay even more attention to how he manages his time.
“Doesn’t matter how much you work out, what you eat. You’re 80,” the Clooney said. “And so I said, ‘We have to make sure we enjoy and live these years in the best possible way.'”
