George Clooney 'I'm Sceptical Of Things, But Always Optimistic'

It’s fitting that George Clooney should combine two of his biggest loves, politics and cinema, in his latest directorial work, Suburbicon. In the lead-up to this much-anticipated latest chapter, the actor and filmmaker reflects on the lessons his father taught him and offers an insight into his new life as a father to twins, Ella and Alexander, with wife Amal

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George Clooney has always led the good life; but that term has carried a meaning that transcends its conventional interpretation, and the 56-year-old actor, director and humanitarian has long believed in the concept of the virtuous life as described by Greek and Roman philosophers. It carries with it the notion of being a good man in the sense of making a contribution to society and adhering to noble goals. That explains, in part, why he has felt a responsibility to make movies that will stand the test of time, while also dedicating himself to political and social causes.

Suburbicon, Clooney’s latest directorial effort, is possibly his most politically charged so far, as he confronts the romantic illusion of 1950s America which, despite its manicured facade, hid a simmering pool of paranoia and racial hysteria. It is based, in part, on the real-life tale of a black family who moved to a white Pennsylvanian suburb only to find their presence sparking riots and outrage. Naturally, the film draws comparisons with the racial tensions so rife in the US, which is no coincidence, as the notoriously left-wing filmmaker points out.

‘The genesis of the screenplay started when I was watching a lot of speeches on the campaign trail about building fences and scapegoating minorities,’ says Clooney. ‘I started looking around at other times in our history when we’ve fallen back to these things, and I found this story that happened in Levittown, Pennsylvania. The idea of juxtaposing these two was to say, “you’re looking in the wrong direction if you’re blaming this African-American family for all your woes”. Some of us are able to speak to the notion of white men feeling that they’re losing their privilege and blaming it all on minorities. And, of course, it has nothing to do with that.’

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