Mae Whitman: George Clooney gave my ex-boyfriend stern ‘talking-to’

by Nicky80 Sat 14 Feb 2015, 20:05

Mae Whitman: George Clooney gave my ex-boyfriend stern ‘talking-to’

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Whitman in the upcoming movie "The DUFF." Photo: Lionsgate/CBS Films
High-school movies have always thrived on delineating social types — recall, if you will, “Mean Girls,” with its cafeteria map pointing out “the Plastics” and the “sexually active band geeks.” But a new teen movie calls out an especially harsh label: DUFF, or “designated ugly fat friend.” Yow.
Mae Whitman plays the title role in the “The DUFF,” out Friday. When her character is informed by her jock neighbor that she’s the DUFF to her two swan-like best friends, she goes into a tailspin.
“I get a lot of ‘You’re not ugly or fat enough [for the role],’ ” Whitman tells The Post. “Does that mean there is someone out there who IS fat or ugly enough? Why should anyone be called that?” she says, pointing out that the film never shows her character changing who she is to please someone else.
The 26-year-old Whitman, who played the rebellious Amber Holt on NBC’s “Parenthood,” says she’s often cast as a quirky girl. “I’ve always tried to be the spokeswoman for the girl who feels a little out of place,” she says, adding that, growing up in Los Angeles, her own adolescence was challenging. “I was bullied in school starting early on,” she says.

She thinks her work as a child actor both added to the bullying and helped her deal with it. “I’d be like, ‘Sorry you don’t like the shoes I wore, but I have to get up tomorrow and go to work, and I don’t have time to let that affect me.’ ”

One of her early jobs was in 1996’s “One Fine Day,” playing George Clooney’s daughter. The two have remained close. “He’s the coolest, nicest guy on the planet,” she says. “I saw him a few years ago, when I was dating my now-ex-boyfriend, and he took the guy around the corner and gave him a talking-to — he warned him not to break my heart. He’s really the best.”

That romance ended, and now she’s in a better one, she says. “I’m dating a musician who’s really smart and nice, and it’s a cool adult relationship,” she says. “I realize I sound like I’m 10 years old, but it feels really healthy and respectful. I have been in a lot of tumultuous relationships.”
Maybe that’s helped Whitman with her reputation as “the best crier in the business”?
“I get a lot of ‘You cry so much,’ ” she agrees. “I’m like Amber, I’m an emotional girl. That role felt very honest — I didn’t have to do much!”
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At a movie premiere in March 2014.

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