How do you think George's childhood affects him as an adult?

premiere wrote:It's like he can't get away from trying to find someone for his double-wide.

You know what they say, you can take the boy out of Kentucky, but you can't take Kentucky out of the boy.

Missa wrote:

premiere wrote:It's like he can't get away from trying to find someone for his double-wide.

You know what they say, you can take the boy out of Kentucky, but you can't take Kentucky out of the boy.

Yep, that's exactly what I was trying to say. You just said it better!

George didn't grow up in a trailer he grew up in a lovely home. Some People live in trailers because that's what they can afford .

To hear George tell it, the family moved from mansion to trailer and back again, depending on Nick's employment situation. He's mentioned living in a trailer for a period of his childhood several times.

But whether George actually lived in a trailer is beside the point. Yes, most people live in trailers because it's what they can afford. And most people who live in Kentucky are not trashy. It's a humorous play on stereotypes, not an attack on the poor or Kentuckians. Settle down.

Yep, he said they moved multiple times 'when the rent was due' (Person to Person), and his father sometimes had six jobs running concurrently and that was why he values land and property above all else now............

I don't need to settle down I was stating my thoughts on what was said. I simply didn't see the humor in the comment.

Ummm, this is a SK thread, not a George in Kentucky childhood thread?

Off topic but the trailer story is one of his regular stories he tells in every interview annemarie...

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Unlike other stars, Clooney learned early just how complicated celebrity can be, growing up the son of a local anchorman and the nephew of singer Rosemary Clooney. Depending on the progress of his father Nick's career, he'd be living in a mansion one moment and in a trailer the next.
"We were famous, always we were under this glass," he reflects. "I got to see how bad it could go with Rosemary -- financially, her career, all the missteps and then the comeback -- and I also got to understand that version of living in the public eye for such a long period of time. There was probably nobody ever better set up for fame than me."
Born in Lexington, Ky., Clooney remembers, "We were constantly moving, always moving, and either you were good at adapting or you weren't. I found myself getting better at it, and my sister, Ada, was less skilled." (She now lives in Kentucky with her two kids, close to their parents.)
PHOTOS: George Clooney and the Making of 'The Descendants'
While Clooney senior was known locally, that didn't mean money was always available. His wife, Nina, who owned a consignment store, regularly sewed her children's clothes by hand and dealt with the constant upheavals of her husband's profession. "My father had a million careers," Clooney notes. "When I first remember him, he was a newsman in Lexington, Kentucky; then he was on a variety show, and then a newspaper writer -- and when he was unemployed he did four plays. We went from a beautiful house in Florence, Kentucky, to a tiny house in Columbus, Ohio, because the job wasn't as good. And then we moved to Mason, Ohio, and my father lost his main job and we lived in a trailer."
Clooney was 12 at that time, and though he says the experience was "fine," it's hard to believe it didn't disturb him. But endless adaptation honed his skills, teaching him to draw on his innate humor -- and also to use it as camouflage for his most private self.

But endless adaptation honed his skills, teaching him to draw on his innate humor -- and also to use it as camouflage for his most private self.

I believe that last sentence could be the key to what
makes GTC tick.

Joanna wrote:I believe that last sentence could be the key to what
makes GTC tick.

I believe you're right, Joanna!

I think that interview is one of the most honest and revealing ones he has ever given. And I agree, it explains a lot about him. His divorce which seems to have cost him a lot financially might have frightened him and made him protective of his life as well as his money. His childhood wasn't all that easy and IMO his consent mention of his father in interviews is to gain his dad's approval for his career choice. Perhaps his father wanted him to choose a career that was more stable.

Merlin wrote:Off topic but the trailer story is one of his regular stories he tells in every interview annemarie...

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Unlike other stars, Clooney learned early just how complicated celebrity can be, growing up the son of a local anchorman and the nephew of singer Rosemary Clooney. Depending on the progress of his father Nick's career, he'd be living in a mansion one moment and in a trailer the next.
"We were famous, always we were under this glass," he reflects. "I got to see how bad it could go with Rosemary -- financially, her career, all the missteps and then the comeback -- and I also got to understand that version of living in the public eye for such a long period of time. There was probably nobody ever better set up for fame than me."
Born in Lexington, Ky., Clooney remembers, "We were constantly moving, always moving, and either you were good at adapting or you weren't. I found myself getting better at it, and my sister, Ada, was less skilled." (She now lives in Kentucky with her two kids, close to their parents.)
PHOTOS: George Clooney and the Making of 'The Descendants'
While Clooney senior was known locally, that didn't mean money was always available. His wife, Nina, who owned a consignment store, regularly sewed her children's clothes by hand and dealt with the constant upheavals of her husband's profession. "My father had a million careers," Clooney notes. "When I first remember him, he was a newsman in Lexington, Kentucky; then he was on a variety show, and then a newspaper writer -- and when he was unemployed he did four plays. We went from a beautiful house in Florence, Kentucky, to a tiny house in Columbus, Ohio, because the job wasn't as good. And then we moved to Mason, Ohio, and my father lost his main job and we lived in a trailer."
Clooney was 12 at that time, and though he says the experience was "fine," it's hard to believe it didn't disturb him. But endless adaptation honed his skills, teaching him to draw on his innate humor -- and also to use it as camouflage for his most private self.

Well, welcome to my world, George!! When I was growing up in Cincinnati, my parents immigrated from northeastern Italy, and my dad worked in construction (a seasonal, feast-or-famine situation), so money was pretty tight. My mom sewed our clothes, planted a large garden, and we bought things at K-Mart, clearance sales, or even at the second-hand store, which mom or dad refinished, making it look excellent. My first house was a run-down older house, that my dad spent years in fixing up, then we moved to a better house (we got as good deal on the first house, because of the renovation), and dad designed and built an addition to it, making the best house in the neighborhood.

I had to deal with issues of a first-generation immigrant, among them not being able to speak English when I started school (after a couple of difficult years, I mastered the language, and eventually I was reading at two-grade levels ahead of the current grade), and then later took a couple of AP classes in high school. I won the school spelling bee in the eighth grade, and came in fifth in the city spelling bee competition. I now have three undergraduate degrees, all business administration-related, and have a modest salaried job.

My experiences were different from George's, but, we became better adults because of it. I know there are people who had it worse than us (but, at least we didn't not come from dysfunctional families where terrible things occured), but people would had hardships in childhood turn out to be adults who can adapt better to change than people who had orderly childhoods.

A big "high-five" to you, George!!

people would had hardships in childhood turn out to be adults who can adapt better to change than people who had orderly childhoods.

I think so

or I prefer to... who knows!

a not really 'rich' childhood leaves scars
but I agree
you know you can live with 'less'

As far as I am concerned, I have had my share of B.S. growing up, but I have proved that I can be a survivor.

Ok, we've gone waaaay off topic here! I love what we're talking about so I'm turning these latest posts into a new thread.

thanks Kat

I read so many interviews about his childhood and adolescence, I do not think (from what I read) that he was very happy, often changing city is not easy, a father without a job is not easy, Bell's palsy is not easy to endure for a teenager. George often says that he always had a conflict with his father and find him when he was a man. Today they speak of a very nice relationship with his father but that person would have a very nice relationship with a son named George Clooney?

MM wrote:As far as I am concerned, I have had my share of B.S. growing up, but I have proved that I can be a survivor.

....and a Big High Five to You too MM !

Thanks for sharing your story

lelacorb wrote:I read so many interviews about his childhood and adolescence, I do not think (from what I read) that he was very happy, often changing city is not easy, a father without a job is not easy, Bell's palsy is not easy to endure for a teenager. George often says that he always had a conflict with his father and find him when he was a man. Today they speak of a very nice relationship with his father but that person would have a very nice relationship with a son named George Clooney?

As an outsider, their relationship seems OK to me.
Those articles that Nick wrote years ago often quoted some story connected with George, and there was always a warmth about them.
Wish they'd been published in a book

Maybe Nina was good cop and Nick bad cop ?
Which is a fair balance IMO

Joanna wrote:

lelacorb wrote:I read so many interviews about his childhood and adolescence, I do not think (from what I read) that he was very happy, often changing city is not easy, a father without a job is not easy, Bell's palsy is not easy to endure for a teenager. George often says that he always had a conflict with his father and find him when he was a man. Today they speak of a very nice relationship with his father but that person would have a very nice relationship with a son named George Clooney?

As an outsider, their relationship seems OK to me.
Those articles that Nick wrote years ago often quoted some story connected with George, and there was always a warmth about them.
Wish they'd been published in a book

Maybe Nina was good cop and Nick bad cop ?
Which is a fair balance IMO

Today is surely but yesterday I did not believe it!

I think his childhood gave him the commitment he has today. Sometimes to go through hard times gives you strength. Also feel his childhood brought him closed to his father.

Here's a video of Nick and family visiting him on Ides set in Cincinnati. Also a sneak peek at his sister, niece and nephew. IMO he has strong family values.

Thanks cindi

"He's method you know"

I like Nick's dry humour

I think just about everybody is somehow affected by their childhood. Some for the good, some not so good. George, like most of us, took those trying years and used them to make himself what he is today. He is a man who is very family oriented, compassionate, kind, creative, productive, filled with a need to make life better for those who want, and at the same time, filled with a spirit of fun. He needs to feel that all those who come into his sphere feel comfortable, wanted, and fulfilled.
We may not care for his taste in women, but that doesn't change anything else about him. I think we should be able to accept that one failing in our eyes.

Good words, patty, I agree with 99.9% of it.
But....
I don't feel his taste in women is a "failing in my eyes" personally.

I don't know what happens there 99.9% of the time,
so I just leave that up to him.
In the 0.01% that I do know about, I've seen nothing that offends me or makes me worry about his treatment of the opposite sex.
After all, they are grown women of the world that he associates with, not inexperienced vulnerable ones.

So we'll have to agree to disagree on that
one small point.

Not to me either, but so many on this forum do feel that way and have expressed their disappointment on that subject and have even felt turned off of George because of it. Don't feel it changes George in any way. My "fantasy" doesn't include other women at all, just me and George. How about you?

He needs to feel that all those who come into his sphere feel comfortable, wanted, and fulfilled.

bec he needs the same?

into our deepest deep we all
are so vulnerable

we have great fear of wounds

and he experienced them
a lot
before

we don't know about his father
but we can imagine
about bell palsy

such so visible disease
in such young age
maybe was able to carry
major problems

giving him strenght
but also
insecurity

I have to lol at this memory. When we were little my brothers had to use the bathroom first, bec my parents couldnt afford heat, and the water in the toilet bow would freeze. My brothers pee would thaw the water so we could flush the toilet !! (I thot Santa Claus coming down the chimney was a farce since we had to go to the courthouse where we got one present, I thought you got your groceries from the church until I was about 14. I got a job with a work permit in a grocery store, and I brought home the groceries then.)

“Refuse to fall down. If you cannot refuse to fall down, refuse to stay down, lift your heart toward heaven like a hungry beggar, ask that it be filled and it will be filled. You may be pushed down. You may be kept from rising. But no one can keep you from lifting your heart toward heaven-only you. It is in the middle of misery that so much becomes clear. The one who says nothing good came of this is not yet listening."

 Clarissa Pinkola Estes quotes (Internationally recognized scholar, poet, and Jungian psychoanalyst)

Maggy wrote:“Refuse to fall down. If you cannot refuse to fall down, refuse to stay down, lift your heart toward heaven like a hungry beggar, ask that it be filled and it will be filled. You may be pushed down. You may be kept from rising. But no one can keep you from lifting your heart toward heaven-only you. It is in the middle of misery that so much becomes clear. The one who says nothing good came of this is not yet listening."

Clarissa Pinkola Estes quotes (Internationally recognized scholar, poet, and Jungian psychoanalyst)

Oh Maggy, thank you for sharing. If you only knew how deeply these words spoke to me. You have no idea....thanks.

You are welcome, Lakin460!

Anyone who will not allow the weight of their existence to bow them down, will eventually overcome the pressure and rise up and be blessed with a good life. When my first husband died, I was left with 4 children, the oldest 6. Thank God for Social Security benefits. We survived, and the children were happy and healthy. When I met my second husband, he took my children into his heart and life, and added them to his 2. Then we had ours. (We were the original yours, mine and ours.) We didn't have a lot of money, but we had lots of love and laughter. All the children have grown and given us 22 grandchildren. My husband got to see the first of out great grandchildren before he died. Now there are 6 and another on the way. So, I know it was a roundabout tale, but my point was, I didn't "feel sorry" for myself, didn't look for a lot of help. I took care of my children, learned to drive (never necessary before) and made the best of what God handed me. He never gives us anything we can't handle. We didn't live in luxury but we lived within our means and didn't give up so God gave us a second chance, the gift of love from the most wonderful man, kind, loving, compassionate, generous and even adventurous.

I don't think George feels sorry for himself. I do think sometimes he feels he was a little hard done by and his relationship with Nick was difficult when he was younger. He's said as much in interviews.

Oh my, your story is so inspiring, pattygirl. I've had my share of hardships and it's really a blessing to hear each others stories. I'm thankful to atually get to know some of you more deeply. I've always been a single mother. My son is blind and while I've spent lots of time feeling sorry for myself and for my son, I draw strength and inspiration from knowing we all have trouble. George has inspired me by his refusal to complain in the face of excruciating pain and his less than ideal childhood. Gee, this forum is more than just a fan site; it's turning out at least for me, to be a place of newfound friends. Thanks.

I like George Clooney for bringing lovely ladies
like us together !!

We should write and tell him I think ?

Thanks a lot George

Childhood is always a difficult time. Has any daughter had a truly happy relationship with her mother? As girls, teenagers, we feel that we know it all. Our mothers are old, old fashioned, outdated.
Has any son had a truly happy relationship with his father? As teenagers, they feel that Dad is old, out-of-touch with reality, never had a curfew, didn't have such "hard" subjects in school, etc. and so on. So, I think that when Nick said that their relationship was good, he was discounting all these "things" because he knew they were just ordinary growing pains. Whereas, George felt that those "growing pains" were great hurdles that had to be overcome in order to get to the wonderful relationship they have today as father and son.

Lakin460 wrote:I draw strength and inspiration from knowing we all have trouble. George has inspired me by his refusal to complain in the face of excruciating pain and his less than ideal childhood. Gee, this forum is more than just a fan site; it's turning out at least for me, to be a place of newfound friends. Thanks.

Lakin, I was deeply inspired by your post. It's true, we all have troubles from growing up. IMO that's part of life, but we should enjoy what we have now.

There's a saying that goes "When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on." That's the philosophy I live by. And also thank you everyone here for being a friend.

True, George went through the same stuff that everybody does, but, in his case, he grew up in his dad's shadow, because his father was so famous here in Cincinnati. If you have a famous parent or sibling when you are growing up, it adds more pressure on you, because your private life is affected by it. Nina, Ada, and George had to make public "family" appearances along with Nick when it came to fundraisers, etc. Nick Clooney was so popular in his heyday, that he was the celebrity of choice for public fundraisers. Yes, such childhood memories for me....

I read somewhere in one of his older interviews that someday instead of him being known as Nick Clooney's son, Nick would be known as George Clooney's father. That prophesy came true.

"Tough Times Don't Last-Tough People Do"

My step daughter gave me a fridge magnet with that on
during a particularly tough time.
I like it.

Pattygirl and MM said basically the same things I was thinking.

I'm sure the pressure on George to please his father was immense growing up. He had big shoes to fill (and boy did he) and one can assume that Nick was hard on him just from the snippets we get from interviews about his past. Not only were they in the public eye, they grew up in an era that pushed the stereotypical 'perfect family' down everyone's throats. Nowadays, everyone pretty much admits to having dysfunctional family spats.

If Nick was hard on George, that is because they had a public image to maintain. People tend to judge parents by they way their children behave in public. But, that was the way it was back then. Everybody had to behave in public, have good manners, etc., or you were judged severely. Alas, today's children don't know how to behave properly because they are allowed to get away with behavior that their parents were not allowed to do so when the were children. It puts a smile on my face when I see a well-trained child.

Oh, BTW, this reminds me of my experience at the meet-and-greet at the University of Cincinnati last May, when Nick gave a lecture. The women professor that I know at UC, who was a NKU classmate of George, and I sat across the dinner table from Nick and Nina.

While Nina and the professor were chatting, I half-listened to their conversation, with both my elbows on the table and holding my chin in one hand. I happened to glance in Nick's direction, and he was imitating my pose with a this-is-how-silly-you-look-with-your-elbows-on-the-table-young-lady expression on his face.

I just smiled back at him, promptly took my elbows off the table, and sat up straight, trying not to laugh out loud. I was totally amused by this incident, since all parents in my generation trained their children to have good table manners.

MM wrote:Alas, today's children don't know how to behave properly because they are allowed to get away with behavior that their parents were not allowed to do so when the were children. It puts a smile on my face when I see a well-trained child.

Exactamundo!

I'm proud to say that when my 9 yr old sees other kids acting up in public she looks at them suspiciously and then at me like "What is wrong with them?" lol

MyGirlKylie wrote:

MM wrote:Alas, today's children don't know how to behave properly because they are allowed to get away with behavior that their parents were not allowed to do so when the were children. It puts a smile on my face when I see a well-trained child.

Exactamundo!

I'm proud to say that when my 9 yr old sees other kids acting up in public she looks at them suspiciously and then at me like "What is wrong with them?" lol

MGK, thanks for training your child up properly. Both she and you will appreciate it when she gets older.

MM wrote:Oh, BTW, this reminds me of my experience at the meet-and-greet at the University of Cincinnati last May, when Nick gave a lecture. The women professor that I know at UC, who was a NKU classmate of George, and I sat across the dinner table from Nick and Nina.

While Nina and the professor were chatting, I half-listened to their conversation, with both my elbows on the table and holding my chin in one hand. I happened to glance in Nick's direction, and he was imitating my pose with a this-is-how-silly-you-look-with-your-elbows-on-the-table-young-lady expression on his face.

I just smiled back at him, promptly took my elbows off the table, and sat up straight, trying not to laugh out loud. I was totally amused by this incident, since all parents in my generation trained their children to have good table manners.

Well then, Miss Stacy, whose been papped in the past with elbows on table, should be in for a lesson should she try that around Papa Nick!
I think it's wonderful to teach your children good manners. So rare today. Being socially gracious is fast becoming a lost art IMO.

Yes, Nick and Nina have impeccable Southern-style table manners. I felt like a pig when I was at dinner with them.

Well then, Miss Stacy, whose been papped in the past with elbows on table, should be in for a lesson should she try that around Papa Nick!

Man, won't that be a sight ot behold if the paps were around to take a photo of that situation.

MM wrote:Yes, Nick and Nina have impeccable Southern-style table manners. I felt like a pig when I was at dinner with them.

I think they may have been related to my grandmother. Except, afterwards, when we left she would've whacked us in the back of the head with her pocketbook.

MM wrote:If Nick was hard on George, that is because they had a public image to maintain. People tend to judge parents by they way their children behave in public. But, that was the way it was back then. Everybody had to behave in public, have good manners, etc., or you were judged severely. Alas, today's children don't know how to behave properly because they are allowed to get away with behavior that their parents were not allowed to do so when the were children. It puts a smile on my face when I see a well-trained child.

Oh, BTW, this reminds me of my experience at the meet-and-greet at the University of Cincinnati last May, when Nick gave a lecture. The women professor that I know at UC, who was a NKU classmate of George, and I sat across the dinner table from Nick and Nina.

While Nina and the professor were chatting, I half-listened to their conversation, with both my elbows on the table and holding my chin in one hand. I happened to glance in Nick's direction, and he was imitating my pose with a this-is-how-silly-you-look-with-your-elbows-on-the-table-young-lady expression on his face.

I just smiled back at him, promptly took my elbows off the table, and sat up straight, trying not to laugh out loud. I was totally amused by this incident, since all parents in my generation trained their children to have good table manners.

Oh.... I have so poor manners I'll be so selfconscious and ashamed to be around them
nice story anyway, love your reaction, you kept your cool !
LOL at Nick for alling people out like that in public, probably the dad in him