Forbes Magazine Article. Celebrity substance: George Clooney

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


Celebrity Substance: George Clooney

This blog post is part of a series called, ‘Celebrity Substance.’ I will be using celebrity careers from a variety of professions as examples, discussing what can be learned from their successes and failures.
It’s difficult to imagine Hollywood without George Clooney, Academy Award winning actor, producer, writer and director. He knows maybe better than anyone how to be a star. Time magazine called him, “The last movie star,” someone who embodies the classic looks and values of old Hollywood. It feels like Clooney has been famous forever (almost 20 years), but in an age where many celebrities are famous by the time they are teenagers, Clooney was not famous until he was 33, after appearing on “ER.”
As the recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille award at the Golden Globes this year, his work in Hollywood and his activism has won the admiration of his colleagues, journalists and audiences everywhere. He is a storyteller who has complete autonomy, and is able to make any movie he wants, when he wants to. He garnered this power with talent, hard work and through personal relationships, and has maintained that power for 20 years now.
This is what we can take away from his success:
Charm Is Power


In his print and television interviews, Clooney’s banter-y charm aside, he always comes across as an adult in what seems to be an increasingly immature industry. His interviews never consist of his fitness routine or his love life, but of his work, his friends (including movie stars like Brad Pitt and Matt Damon and political figures like President Obama), politics and humanitarian causes. His personality transcends superficial charm to an authentic likability because what he says is sincere.
Clooney’s friend Brad Pitt told British GQ, “Well, you know, George is extremely accessible. He’s one of our best representatives. He’s funny as shit.  He’s a joy to be around.”
Being liked is a powerful thing, it is something people are hesitant to say that when giving advice because it is so subjective, but it is a skill set unto itself. Clooney is a master of getting people to like him.

Effort Compensates For Skill
 If Clooney can not win someone over with his charm, good looks or fame, he will win them over with preparation. “I’ve always believed what you lack in skill you can make up for in effort,” he told James Lipton on “Inside The Actors Studio.” “I lack skills, sure. But I find that to be a challenge. I’ve lacked skills in almost everything I’ve ever done, and I’ve found that to be exciting. Just because I lack skills doesn’t mean I won’t learn them, it just means I have to learn them.”
 He detailed his effort and level of preparation in an interview with The New Yorker, “I’m as prepared as anybody you’ll meet, or anybody I’ve worked with. Doesn’t mean I’m as good, I’m just prepared. I can show you storyboards this thick, with every single shot and every single scene. Every frame. Literally every shot.”
Kindness


On “Inside The Actor’s Studio,” Clooney described working with director Alexander Payne, who directed him in “The Descendents,” “He has this incredible capacity, like other great directors I’ve worked with, for kindness. Kindness is such a beautiful element when you’re doing a film that’s dealing with such a tricky subject matter. You’re not quite sure where you should be in the film, you know it’s going to be elevated at some points. It requires a certain amount of kindness from the director.”
Clooney is known for having a “fun” set, and his stance against bullies. In 1998 Clooney made headlines when he put director David O’ Russell in a choke hold on the set of “Three Kings” because he objected to how he was treating people. Clooney insists on treating people with a level of decency that some other directors and producers do not necessarily subscribe to. Clooney has been vocal about the fact that he won’t work with mean, difficult people, and works by that code. When asked about the qualities he looks for in people he works with, kindness is always mentioned.

WOW that is sooooo positive written

LOL Nicky....two minds think alike....
Yours is neater than mine !!

Joanna and Nicky, thanks for posting.  Just kill me.  Im failing miserably at the copy and paste technique.  But I refuse to give up.  PigPen thinks she bad at this.  She's got nothing on me.  Thanks again.

Joanna wrote:LOL Nicky....two minds think alike....
Yours is neater than mine !!

I fixed yours and now it Looks neat too

Donnamarie wrote:Joanna and Nicky, thanks for posting.  Just kill me.  Im failing miserably at the copy and paste technique.  But I refuse to give up.  PigPen thinks she bad at this.  She's got nothing on me.  Thanks again.

We have this saying: "practise makes it perfect" hehe.....But it is OK if you fail. I don't like competition

Thanks Nicky 

Great article!
That's all we love about George I guess...