Keeping it single

George Clooney has been linked with many beautiful women, but his longest relationship - 15 years - is with Max, his pot-bellied pig. Now 41, the once-married "eternal bachelor" just loves to hang out with the boys.

What's your idea of a good night out?
A nice Italian joint with the boys, with a driver so you can have a few drinks; then go over to my buddy Randy's bar and have some more drinks. That'ld be fun. We've had the greatest nights when it's just a bunch of us together for "movie night". We all just watched Jackass the other night over at my house. It's not really a movie, let's face it. It's just skits. But, there were 20 of us in the room, all guys and some of the wives and girlfriends. The movie is horribly gross and unbelievably stupid - and having said all that, it was an hour and ten minutes of the hardest I've ever laughed my whole life. I was sore from laughing. And I know everyone will be pissed off, but I had the best time. It shouldn't really be a major studio release. God, what the premiere of that must have been like! But it was so much fun and we were all exhausted afterwards from laughing so hard.

Do you have a lot of showbiz buddies?
Not really. My buddy Richard Kind is about to do the lead in the new Stephen Sondheim musical on Broadway, and I was best man at his wedding, so he's a showbiz type. There's eight of us who've been best friends for 20 years and some are in showbiz but not really. It's the same guys.

Do you still have Max the pig?
He's good and healthy. He got hit by a car and had a bad turn for a while, but he's doing fine now. He's all right. We're still best friends. I scratched his head on the way out this morning.

A lot of people call you a playboy. Does that upset you?
What do you do? If you're 41 and single and you've gone out with anyone in your life - I mean, it's not nice and it's not really accurate either, but there's nothing you can do, so it's just, "You got me. Fine."

What's the wildest thing you've done recently?
Buying a villa in Lake Como, Italy. It's great there. I've got a boat and so you just ride up to one of the great restaurants on the lake and get out and start eating. It's so great. That's pretty out there, because it's not cheap and it's a long way away, and I don't lead the sort of life where I'm able to get there that often. But I want to lead that life, which doesn't necessarily mean that it'll work. I bought a piano once because I had the dream of playing "As Time Goes By" as some girl's leaning on it drinking a martini. Great image. But none of it worked out. I can't even play "Chopsticks". But I've got a nice piano at my house!

You have made a lot of money. What's the biggest thrill it gives you these days?
Making money is still a thrill, but here's the funny thing. If you look at the movies I've done recently, like 0 Brother Where Art Thou?, Welcome to Collinwood, Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, Solaris, on none of them have I made any money. I did do Ocean's 11 for a percentage, so we didn't get paid upfront, but it ended up being a great payday. So that one covers all the others, and it's nice to do one where you make a little cash. As for the thrill, I wish they'd give it to you in a wheelbarrow, so you actually get to put your hands in it, because actually it really just comes as a piece of paper.

What's the last extravagance you bought?
The house in Como. That was big. It was just over $8m. Everyone was saying it's a $20m house, and I'm like, "Nah, not quite that much." I'm buying six bikes for it as well because all the boys ride. We had Harleys last time we were there, but it's harder to get parts in Italy for them, so I might go for Motoguzzi or something.

Some of your films could be seen as risky projects. Do you like taking risks?
I have so far. I find that I'm at my best when my neck is out a bit. Every time I've taken a risk, even if it didn't work, at least it wasn't boring. I'm in a good spot right now in my career where I'm getting away with trying things, and as long as I get away with it I'll keep trying things.

Is being rich and famous worth all the hassle, such as lack of privacy?
It is worth it, so you don't complain. I have a great life. But there are things that happen that if you hung out with me for a few days in a city you'd just go, "That sucks!" And I'd go, "Yeah, that sucks." Like walking through an airport and some guy will try and pick a fight or say something rude, and you'd probably lean over and go, "Hey! Knock it off!" And I'd have to tell you, "Don't do it. Don't lose your temper." Because your first reaction is to get angry and go, "You can't do that!" And you learn to dismiss it and ignore it. You have to.

© VERO MODA FASHION Magazine, Autumn 2003
Text: bang - Photo: allover
Special thanks to my sister Petra for sending me this magazine :)