George Clooney Talks Family Holiday Plans, ‘Oceans 14' & Noah Wyle’s Success (Exclusive)

George Clooney sat down with “Extra” to talk “Jay Kelly,” his new comedy-drama in which he plays an actor confronting the choices he’s made, his family relationships, and the legacy he leaves behind. 

Clooney said of parallels between the film and his career, "I see the film and I understand why people go, ‘Well, there’s some similarity,' but I didn't read that when I read the script.”

He explained that there are some differences between his character’s life and his own life, saying, "I have really close friends that tell me the truth, and I have great family. I'm close to my father, we're not estranged, you know, all of those things."

George, who shares 8-year-old twins Ella and Alexander with his wife Amal, also talked about having children later in life, compared with his own parents.

"I started at, you know, 56… My parents, my mom was 19, you know, and so what they were doing was literally trying to put food on the table and raise two kids with one car and a two-bedroom house,” he said. "And it was hard. And so for me, most of my career is behind me… I’m financially secure. My career is fine and so it's a lot easier to be able to spend more time with your kids. So, it's cheating in a way."

He also dished on family holiday plans to do some traveling. 

George shared, “We're going to travel a little bit. We're going to get the kids out of school and we're going to do a little traveling because I really, I want them to see the world a little bit. They do. I mean, we were pretty well-traveled, but we're going to do a little bit of traveling.”

He went on, “We have a place in Kentucky and I'm going to spend some time with my folks and my sister who are all there… The holidays in general, Thanksgiving, they're really made for being around family."

Plus, he talked about where things stand with getting “Oceans 14” made, saying, “We're going to try to start it in October [2026]… We have a great script… We’re actually scouting locations right now.”

Clooney added, “There was a movie called 'Going in Style' back in the day, which was sort of all these old guys robbing a bank. And that's kind of what this is, you know? We can't do the things we used to do. And that's the fun of it, like trying to figure out how do you solve this puzzle without physically being as adept as you used to be?"

George also reflected on former co-star Noah Wyle’s success with “The Pitt.”

Clooney recalled, "He was 23 on ‘ER.' You know, he was a kid. And I love, love him. He's one of those great guys who cares about people, cares about the work, has a great family… He was a great kid and he’s grown into a great guy, and then you watch the show and it’s fantastic.”

He went on, “I couldn't be happier for him… Since I've known him since he was so young and I feel like a, not a father, but certainly an older brother to him, an uncle, I'm deeply proud of him and where he is in his career."