How Having Kids Changed George Clooney’s Life Perspective

For two decades following his 1993 divorce from Talia Balsam, George Clooney was always on the list of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors. The charm, the sophisticated disposition, the salt & pepper hair…you get the idea. Though he was involved in a few romances that caught the attention of the public (and paparazzi), he didn’t get married again until a few years back. 

George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin — one of the most respected international rights lawyers in existence — in 2014. Together, they have two children, Alexander Clooney and Ella Clooney. Ella and Alexander are three-year-old twins. During an interview with GQ, Clooney spoke about his family and how having children changed his life perspective. For many years, he was a career-first individual who felt content with his life, believing it “was full” and he was “doing well.” Marriage and children changed everything for the Gravity star. 

George Clooney talks about the ’empty space’ he didn’t realize existed in his life

Clooney told GQ that he didn’t realize something was missing in his life until he had it — a family. He said: 

I’m gonna work, I’ve got great friends, my life is full, I’m doing well. And I didn’t know how un-full it was until I met Amal…Then everything changed. And I was like, “Oh, actually, this has been a huge empty space”

George Clooney | GQ

Clooney on caring about someone else’s life more than he cares about his own

Clooney explained that work was enough after his divorce. Having close friends by his side was all he thought he needed. Yet, after meeting Alamuddin and having kids, he realized what it was like to care about someone else’s life more than you care about your own. He shared: 

…Because I’d never been in the position where someone else’s life was infinitely more important to me than my own. You know? And then tack on two more individuals, who are small and have to be fed.…

George Clooney | GQ

As the interview continued, one of Clooney’s children, Alexander, came and sat on his father’s lap. Clooney’s dad instincts quickly kicked in, as the actor noted his son had chocolate on his face. He went on to tease him, arguing that he must be “15 years old.” Clooney explained that he used to be the guy who would hear a kid crying and get agitated; now, he is the guy with the kid crying.