Our Opinions - What Does George Want in His Life?

HA Joanna, funny.

I agree there are pre-nups but even those have been contested.

As to Celine, I think there was a point where money became an issue.  But if I'm wrong, I'm ok with conceding that.  I may be remembering the circumstances incorrectly.  I agree that there didn't seem to be a fire works type of break up but I thought there was some issue with the money.

George has said time and time again that the women get upset with him when he's working and he doesn't want to be the guy who has kids but then is never there for them because of work.

He does seem to be very much a traditionalist in that respect.  And that he sees that as a concern I think is good.  What kid wants to be on the winning team for instance and then turn to the stands to look for that look of approval one gets from a parent, and find that he's the only one without a parent there to cheer for him!

But as others have noted, it is possible to have a long term relationship without having children and without being married.

As was used as an example, Matt's wife.  Yes, she is a supportive spouse.  But she IS a spouse.  So the fact that he did marry her gives her much more credibility in society's eyes.   Not that I necessarily agree that it's a good thing, but it's unfortunately a fact.

I think as long as George is focused on his work - until he achieves whatever pinnacle for HIM makes him believe he has done all that he wants to do with his work, he's not going to put his energies into a relationship.

Oh well, I can sigh here and wish him the best.  At the very least he has good friends who are there for him and very supportive of him, so maybe he doesn't have need for anything more in his life when it comes to emotional connection.

@ Lorna: your last sentence "so maybe he doesn't have need for anything more in his life when it comes to emotional connection" was exactly what I was thinking. Some people don't need much emotional connections just the basics and he has the basics.

Do we have the 2008 Esquire interview on here? That was very insightful in a straight-from-the-horses-mouth sort of way.........long but insightful

party animal - not! wrote:Do we have the 2008 Esquire interview on here? That was very insightful in a straight-from-the-horses-mouth sort of way.........long but insightful

This one pan?

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Fast forward 3 years from Esquire you can hear him sharing his thoughts on the matter with his father & Piers Morgan.

2008 was half a decade ago....

At the very least he has good friends who are there for him and very supportive of him, so maybe he doesn't have need for anything more in his life when it comes to emotional connection.

Sounds  like a notion compensating for lack of connection to a life-partner. Rather a  dull consolation prize, considering his friends are all mostly attached. Except maybe one or two.
Doesn't equate for love.

Of course people need emotional connections. It's in our genetic predisposition as a species.
Relationships create psychological space and safety so that we can explore, learn & feel. They provide validation of self-worth, security, understanding, enjoyment.
Emotionally detached people are usually plagued by anxiety issues.

His issue isn't that he doesn't want strong emotional connections, but that he hasn't found the right one. That's what he has stated in interviews at least.
Maybe he will.. Or maybe not.
Remains to be seen.

In the meantime, he has floated along with meaningless, brief, part-time publicity-aimed relationships for well over a decade.

Juliette Hardy wrote:

At the very least he has good friends who are there for him and very supportive of him, so maybe he doesn't have need for anything more in his life when it comes to emotional connection.

Sounds  like a notion compensating for lack of connection to a life-partner. Rather a  dull consolation prize, considering his friends that you mention are all mostly attached. Except maybe one or two.
Doesn't equate for love.

Of course people need emotional connections. It's in our genetic predisposition as a species.
Relationships create psychological space and safety so that we can explore, learn & feel. They provide validation of self-worth, security, understanding, enjoyment.
Emotionally detached people are usually plagues by anxiety issues.

His issue isn't that he doesn't want strong emotional connections, but that he hasn't found the right one. That's what he has stated too.
Maybe he will.. Or maybe not.
Remains to be seen.

In the meantime, he has floated a long with meaningless, brief part-time publicity-aimed relationships for well over a decade.

Juliette I don't think you can definitively make this statement.

As much as I didn't like some of his choices, I never got the impression that they were all publicity-aimed and that they were meaningless.

I think he cared about Sarah but I don't think she was prepared for the intense scrutiny she was subjected to.

Those videos and photos of him kissing her in a restaurant didn't look like they were for publicity. They looked like George was a little tipsy and had let down his guard in public because he looked like he was into her when they were together.

LornaDoone wrote:

party animal - not! wrote:Do we have the 2008 Esquire interview on here? That was very insightful in a straight-from-the-horses-mouth sort of way.........long but insightful

This one pan?

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thanks for the link. I liked reading the interview  

Thank you, Lorna! You are good to me

Well, Juliette, it's kind of  some self esteem thing
There is so much to learn!

who knows...x

I just sat down and read the Esquire interview very quickly....I found it enlightening....answering questions about lovers he may or may not have had...
Ellen Barkin -- "Never, but I love her. She's a great friend."

She is, I think, still a jobbing actress....but as I recall took many millions from a former husband....

It's a bit "A la cart" ....

If so badly wounded by women who do this type of thing...why so have them as much loved friends?

I know they may be great activists, but they have the money to do it, and the time that money provides.....

A bit flip flop.....

You have to admire Billy Piper, divorced multi-millionaire Chris Evens, and didn't take a shilling.  She has gone on to have a career of her own, and is now happily married again.

So decent well rounded "good sorts" do exist.....even in the business of show....x

Ooh God,

Scrap the above....have just come back from spending a couple of hours with a guy I find utterly reprehensible....but makes me laugh like a drain......

Kindest regards

Miss F Flop.

One day I will stick to my guns.....promise....x

Ellen Barkin - George Friend - lived with Sam Levinson, 31 years her junior for a couple of years, but in her divorce from Ron Perelman, billionaire and owner of Revlon, received a rumoured £40,000.........

Not bad...

Only 40,000 pounds from a billionaire? Ouch!

Maybe PAN forgot a 0 LOL

Oh, Lord. Three zeros actually

Hopefully she forgot a lot of zeros!

Thanks PAN now it sounds realistic   That was funny

it's me wrote:Well, Juliette, it's kind of  some self esteem thing
There is so much to learn!

Thank you for your great advice.
I'm doing just that all day!
Wish I hadn't been in such a position in the first place, mais c'est la vie...
 

Anyway,
Baci xxx

Baci! Xxxxxxx

Maybe because of George's image, money, and the criticism his girlfriends get, it could be hard for George to find the right type of woman.  Don't you think the the more appropriate women might just think he is unattainable or not want the personal criticism.   Also, the more fame hungry gold digging women certainly are flocking and throwing themselves at him.  

Also, I hope George's relationships aren't meaningless. Granted I see the reason why someone would think that.  It just seems a bit sad.

I don't think George would care one way or the other about the Barbara Walters interview or any other time he said it.  If he finds someone he wants to marry he would,  and wouldn't care what he said 20 years ago.  Just doesn't seem like the type of person that any interview would stop him if he wanted something.

Absolutely Madsky, I agree

He usually does what he wants

Right, my two cents from a marathon reading session on this thread:

madsky wrote: I think it is natural for his fans to want him to find love, maybe not marriage, but a true love that they can see.  The fans love him and to a lot of people a significant partner is seen as the ideal.  He may want something else, or maybe he gave up after his first marriage ended poorly who knows.  

 Agreed totally.  I think fans want what they want for George, and just choose to ignore what he's said, and more importantly, how he's acted which contradicts the fans' daydreams.

To me it's significant that he's not only said - several times - that he's not made for long-term relationships but has also behaved consistently in line with what he's said by not having long-term relationships.

madsky wrote: I wonder though if he regrets telling Barbara Walters years ago that he would never get married again?  

 Yes, he has said in the past that he does regret it because it's become a millstone around his neck.

Mazy wrote: As far as psychology they are the norms (average) and guidelines not carved in stone to define each person. I cannot be put into a slot or category. I am completely unique for better or worse. I also assume everyone is.

 Exactly.  Why's it so hard to believe George may not want what most people want from his life?

Rachel van Bersten wrote: he is shy and not the kind of guy who would make the first step and approach a woman. He never did that, not even in his youth.

 Not completely true when you hear about how he meets and gets together with his girlfriends.

I think a big part of his "I don't like to be chased by women because I like the hunt" is his message to get women to back off a little bit.  It must be annoying for him to get hit on by women all the time (and I'm sure it happens all the time!) and then deal with the emotional fall out when he doesn't respond to the bait.  

Rachel van Bersten wrote:  so he knows, if its not the right woman, who is prepared to live his life with him, prepared to stand behind him instead of in front of him, a woman prepared to be selfless, it will not work out. And to find that woman is not easy. [ . . . ] A woman which will stand behind him and support him in his work.

 So basically he needs a complete doormat who'll never do anything for herself no matter how unhappy this endless being selfless makes her?  Gotta say, I'm not so surprised he hasn't found the right one yet!

theminis wrote:its only your assumption that he has always had zero chemistry partners - no-one knows what goes on behind closed doors - George has well and truly had his share of love on and off the carpet, or on the carpet if that is what he prefers!!

 Very true!  We know that George skis off-piste so to speak.  The only relationships we get to see are the ones in the public eye but I think we'd be silly to think these are the only women he dates or has ever dated.

Juliette Hardy wrote: There were hardly any PDAs with his last two "girlfriends" either...

Not just the last two, but all of them since Celine.  Even if you look at the later pictures of him and Celine in 1999 you can see the lack of happiness and PDAs between them.  Basically, in the past 13 years he's not looked terribly happy with whoever he's been dating.  

Lighterside wrote:Lorna, while I respect your position and opinion, your statement that he would lose "integrity" because of a statement made and reiterated mostly by the media, in the now distance past, doesn't allow for or encompass any room for growth or maturity within the individual.  That would be really sad state of affairs if we were "married" to our thoughts, emotions and positions held when we were young and not allowed room to grow and change perspective.

 I agree with that completely and yet I see this in people I know.  There are people get this idea in their heads that they're xyz kind of person and then live up to that image.  Most people manage the change in self-perception from gawky teenager to party-animal 20-something to married-with-kids 30-something and so on, but not everyone.

madsky wrote:Maybe because of George's image, money, and the criticism his girlfriends get, it could be hard for George to find the right type of woman.  Don't you think the the more appropriate women might just think he is unattainable or not want the personal criticism.  

 I find that a little hard to believe to be honest.  

I assume that George is a decent man so why wouldn't a woman be interested?  He's 52 and comes with baggage as do we all.  I don't think there's a great shortage of women willing to take that on, just that George isn't looking for this.  

I agree with what you say about the criticism, but I also think this can be managed.  The girlfriend doesn't have to read all the sniping comments made online (and yes, that does take tremendous willpower, I'm sure!) and if George made an effort to actually look happy with her, there'd be a lot less criticism in the first place.  He pretty much opens the doors to that harsh criticism by showing the world he doesn't really give a damn about his girlfriend so in the minds of many people that kind of justifies the carping and mean comments.

You wise baby, you wise

-Waving-

well, katiedot has good points.

I´ve been thinking about all of this lately, if I see a mega budget project centered around recognizable franchises. To me it seems like humane stories and character driven stories are limited, in theaters. Do they make it there in a same scale as they used to?

This affects directly to who´s to become "leading lady" or "leading man". (Who is a leading lady of Hobbit?) And the tittle is no longer lasting. Competing media options has divided movie- goers attentions and fan bases (what ever that means in these hectic times) for the stars and the movies is harder and harder to predict or identify and yet more and more important with the huge tent pole high budget projects studious aim to make.

If I was responsible executive producer or alike I´d be paranoid and ask everyone´s opinion; fans, haters, old, young, from east and from west...It doesn´t help if small group of insiders like it and rest of the world is like what sh*t is that?

Projects are so huge that failures could rock the whole industry. Like banking sector with "too big to fail" banks. Makes you wonder if the business model within movie is broken?

Back to the original question, what does he want? To survive as a leading man in this environment and do what ever he pleases, could be. So far so good.  

Guess the only thing he wants is to live as a man
Not an ordinary man, we already know
But a man anyway

haha You are funny It's me. I agree as long he lives like a "man" I'm happy.

You devil!
What I wanted to say was that he has normal aspirations 
Despite his not normal life

  Got it  

Well I've seen PDAs in the last 13 years.  Sarah was a good example there was a video floating around where he seemed like he was tipsy and he was sucking face with her at the table in a restaurant.  I think Grant and Cindy were at the dinner.  Don't remember if Rande (with an e) was there but assuming he must have been if Cindy was there.

Found a NY Post article on it but the video link doesn't seem to work.

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Well I still can't find anyplace that has the video it seems to have mysteriously disappeared from the internet but leave it to Lainey she posted two pictures of it on her website so those are at the link below.  Click on the pictures and you'll get a bigger version!

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Typically anti-PDA George Clooney - how true

He is not anti PDA
he kissed (on cheeks) platoons of women!

Well he is usually an anti-sucking the face right off ya type of guy

I remember that video Lorna...I thought he was quite tipsy at the time and I felt bad for Grant because it was a bit much.

Yeah when people start yelling Get a Room you have taken it too far, not that I would know about that of course.

Guess we never know the truth


Ah
Forgot the woman whose husband paid for G kissing her

Funny no?

I believe that was an AmFar event that Sharon Stone was hosting and the husband paid $30,000 for his wife to get a "peck" from George. If I paid that kind of money, I would have demanded some deep-throating!!

melbert wrote:I believe that was an AmFar event that Sharon Stone was hosting and the husband paid $30,000 for his wife to get a "peck" from George.  If I paid that kind of money, I would have demanded some deep-throating!!

mel you missed a zero!

He sold a kiss for $350,000!!!

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You're right Lorna. My eyes are wonky tonight and now, for that extra zero, I would demand bed AND breakfast AND deep-throating!! Thanks for correcting me.

Nice kiss .

I'm not one for PDA but I must be missing something because I didn't see anything that dramatic on those links?

That's because there wasn't anything that dramatic. At the time, fans used that video of him and Sarah to point out how cold their relationship was.

As usual out searching for pics and I came across some that I thought were affectionate toward Betti and the others are some other pictures. The last link is the main search page for George you can go on from there. Maybe I see things that aren't there?

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I don't think anyone's saying that there have never ever ever been affectionate looks or PDAs between George and his girlfriends (or at least, I'm not).

What I'm saying is that these are few and there are more, often many more, photos of the two of them (whichever girlfriend, it makes no difference) looking cool towards each other.

There's also the issue of re-writing history which happens with every girlfriend: fans at the time look at a picture and say how unhappy they look together in it but later on new fans look at the exact same picture and see how happy George looked with that girlfriend.  

It's happened here with Elisabetta and if you stick around long enough you'll see it happen with Stacy.  

In fact, I hope you guys stick around for that. I hate being the old timer reading comments about George's new girlfriend and what a bad mismatch they are then comparing those pictures to the photos of him with Stacy and how happy they looked together then. I'll be the one banging my head against my keyboard. You can join me!

A while back I found an old discussion site from when George was with Celine and there were comments saying how uncomfortable George looked with Celine and how they were so obviously not together whereas now we all think those are the happiest we've seen George with a woman in more than a decade.  Plus ca change . . .

Thanks for the photo Mazy, well in the 2nd one it looks like she is checking him for head lice (LOL) I particularly liked how they looked together are their debut in Venice - there were some real lovely photos of them.

Venice is not so far
Mum or Cindy?

it's me wrote:Venice is not so far
Mum or Cindy?

Why? Can't he go alone? Does he need a chaperone, even if he's single?  

He did for Burn After Reading.
Maybe Sandra Bullock can hold his hand... 
Might generate extra speculation publicity.

....

Personally, I never saw any affection PDAs between Clooney & EC, stemming from romantic love.

Most of the red carpet photos were pure showbiz where he's instructing her what to do, or whispering in her ear to "smile."  So obvious.

The only embraces  were when they started the relationship & they're  in front of Villa Oleandra, & they're doing an ever-so-obvious corny, staged photo-op form a distance, while he's holding a bottle of wine.
Then at a sushi restaurant in Rome in Nov 2011, where EC is trying to copy the same SL kissing poses, grabbing his head & pulling it to her face. He seems passive.
And once during The American, when he kissed a row of women & threw one in for EC.

I personally didn't see much love between them. No more than he showed SK.
On the other hand, I saw more affection towards CB & SL. Just his body language.

That's JMO.

What he wants is entirely he´s call, right?

PDA? Personal digital assistance - he follows time, always has.

Mom or Cindy? Moms rules! This is really 50-60 % question. Both good.  

It seems that George is not comfortable with an over amount of PDA. I think that a lot of us at a certain age were raised that way. I remember the first time my mother saw me smoking out of the house a lady just didn't do that. It is hard to break our early training. Katie is right in the sense that he just doesn't show PDA.