The mainstream news cycle picked up a story which has existed in anecdotes for some time now (low-key brag: weโve been ahead of the curve on this one for two years). It was only during his interview with GQโs Zach Baron, however, that the silver fox/ tequila mogul / occasional actor โ George Clooney โ personally confirmed the longstanding rumours surrounding millions in cold, hard cash and fourteen of his closest friends.
The year was 2013. Before Clooney settled down to start a family with international human rights lawyer Amal Clooneyโฆ before he sold his Casamigos Tequila brand for US$1 billionโฆ and before whatever the hell Money Monster was supposed to be. Expanding on the initial reveal made by friend and business partner Rande Gerber to MSNBC, hereโs what Clooney had to say:
โI was a single guy. All of us were aging. I was 52 or something. And most of my friends are older than me.โ
Alfonso Cuaronโs Gravity starring himself and Sandra Bullock was about to hit cinemas โ and because โthey thought it was going to be a flopโ, the studio chose to pay the actors a percentage of the film in lieu of a salary. Of course, Gravity would eventually generate US$723 million in box office revenue against a US$100 million budget. So it was actually, in Clooneyโs own words, a very good deal.
โThese guys whoโve all, over a period of thirty-five years, helped me in one way or another. Iโve slept on their couches when I was broke. They loaned me money when I was broke. They helped me when I needed help over the years. And Iโve helped them over the years. Weโre all good friends.โ
โI thought, โYou know, without them I donโt have any of this.โ And weโre all really closeโฆ and I just thought basically, if I get hit by a bus, theyโre all in the will. So why the fuck am I waiting to get hit by a bus?โ
While many would assume having a considerable net worth entails instant access to said net worth whenever the mood strikes, youโd be surprised at how difficult getting your hands on US$14 million worth of cash is in practical terms. After some research, Clooney discovered an undisclosed location in downtown Los Angeles where โgiant pallets of cashโ are stored. Hopping into a beat-up van with โFloristโ printed on the side, Clooney made his way towards this mysterious vault Oceanโs 11-style.
โI bought fourteen Tumi bags, and then I packed in a million bucks cash โ which isnโt as much as you think it is weight-wise โ into these Tumi bags.โ
The next day, George Clooney invited the fourteen friends in question over for an intimate dinner party for the big, and borderline unbelievable, surprise.
โI just held up a map and I just pointed to all the places I got to go in the world and all the things Iโve gotten to see because of them. And I said, โHow do you repay people like that?โ And I said, โOh, well: how about a million bucks?โ
โThe fun part about it was โ that was the 27th/28th of September. A year later, on the 27th of September, just by happenstance, was the day I got married.โ
But it doesnโt end just there. In true Clooney fashion, comparable to the final note of any Oceanโs film, there was a rather charming epilogue and affirmation of friendship.
โI remember talking to one really rich asshole who I ran into at a hotel in Vegas โ certainly a lot richer than I am โ and I remember the story about the cash had come out, and he was like, โWhy would you do that?โโฆ and I was like, โWhy wouldnโt you do that, you schmuck?โโ
Quite befitting of GQโs Man of the Year for 2020.
You can read the full original interview here.
