George Clooney wants to give his kids, 8-year-old twins Ella and Alexander, a “fair shake at life.” Which is why, he says, he moved them out of the U.S.
“You know, we live on a farm in France. A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid, I hated the whole idea of it,” he told Esquire in a profile published Monday.
“But now, for them, it’s like — they’re not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in,” he added. “They have a much better life.”
Clooney also added that he and his wife, international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, “were worried about raising our kids in LA, in the culture of Hollywood.”
“I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life,” he explained. “France — they kind of don’t give a shit about fame. I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids.”
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George and Amal Clooney have regularly shared the lengths they go to give their kids a normal childhood and maintain their privacy.
Amal told Glamour magazine earlier this year that she and George confiscate people’s phones when they come to their home.
“Creating private moments and spaces is becoming increasingly difficult. But that’s also why we entertain a lot at home,” Amal said, adding that she has “a phone basket that I use to take everyone’s phones away.”
“It’s important to get that balance where you have time alone with your family and with your friends where people feel like you can have a safe and frank exchange,” the lawyer added, explaining that she and the actor do “the best we can to minimize any impact on our children.”
“We don’t put our children out there, we’ve never put their photo out there or anything like that,” Amal shared.
