George Clooney didn’t just move his family out of Hollywood — he left the entire culture behind. After welcoming twins Ella and Alexander in 2017 with his wife, human-rights lawyer Amal Clooney, the Oscar winner decided Los Angeles wasn’t where he wanted his kids to grow up. In a recent interview with Esquire magazine, Clooney said the family now lives on a sprawling farm in France — a place where, as he put it, his children can actually have “a fair shake” at life.
“Yeah, we’re very lucky. You know, we live on a farm in France,” Clooney told Esquire. “A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid I hated the whole idea of it. But now, for them, it’s like—they’re not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.”
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The move, he explained, was less about scenery and more about sanity. “I was worried about raising our kids in L. A., in the culture of Hollywood. I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life. France—they kind of don’t give a shit about fame. I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids.”
Clooney painted a vivid picture of what life looks like now — quite literally. When a fence on the property needed oiling, there was no handyman in sight. Clooney and his eight-year-old twins picked up paintbrushes and did it themselves. “At first they’re taking these little, tiny brushstrokes, boop, boop, boop,” he said. “And I go, Nooo, paint the goddamn fence. And then they go crazy painting the fence and they’re covered with paint and oil and stuff.”
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The actor has always had a do-it-yourself streak. He told Esquire that when he was 18, he cut tobacco for $3 an hour and once sold insurance door-to-door while sleeping on a closet floor between auditions. That work ethic never really left him. He says he still fixes things around the house himself, drives the tractor, and takes pride in keeping his kids grounded in what he calls “real life.”
Clooney’s decision to put distance between his family and Hollywood isn’t unique. Josh Duhamel has spoken about doing the same thing, telling People magazine that he built a home in northern Minnesota to keep life simple. “It’s so back to the basics,” Duhamel said. “We get so accustomed to all these luxuries and these amenities that we have … and I think that’s what this is for me — it’s an opportunity to get back to the basics and really enjoy the simple things in life, and that’s family, that’s friends, that’s making memories.”
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Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky took a similar approach, leaving Los Angeles for the coastal town of Byron Bay, Australia. Hemsworth has said the move helps his family stay connected to nature and away from industry chaos. James Van Der Beek also relocated his wife and six kids from California to Texas, explaining to Austin Lifestyle magazine, “We wanted to get the kids out of Los Angeles. We wanted to give them space and we wanted them to live in nature.”
Clooney’s take, though, feels the most old-fashioned. He’s raising his children the way he was raised — with chores, fields, and a healthy disregard for fame. To him, the farm isn’t an escape. It’s a return to something that feels honest. His twins may not realize it now, but someday they’ll know they traded red carpets for olive trees — and that’s exactly how their father wanted it.
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This article George Clooney Wanted To Give His Young Twins A ‘Fair Shake at Life’ So He Moved His Family To A Farm In France Where No One Cares If You’re Famous originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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