The Monuments Men star gave a number of his closest pals the hefty amount of money several years ago as a thank you for supporting him through the ups and downs.
While it may seem outrageous to us regular folk, Clooney said he wanted to show his gratitude for their support.
“Amal and I had just met, but we weren’t dating at all. I was a single guy. All of us were ageing. I was 52 or something. And most of my friends are older than me,” he explained.
“[With Gravity], because they didn’t want to pay us, they gave us percentages of the movie, ’cause they thought it was gonna be a flop, and that ended up being a very good deal. And I thought, what I do have are these guys who’ve all, over a period of 35 years, helped me in one way or another.”
We went on to reveal how his friends had supported him throughout low points in his life.
“I’ve 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 I’ve helped them over the years,” said the actor.
“We’re all good friends. And I thought, you know, without them I don’t have any of this. And we’re all really close, and I just thought basically if I get hit by a bus, they’re all in the will. So why the f*** am I waiting to get hit by a bus?'”
And the 59-year-old actor and filmmaker recalls himself telling the story to a “really rich a******”, who thought it was a bad idea.
Speaking to GQ magazine, he added: “I remember talking to one really rich a****** who I ran into in a hotel in Vegas – certainly a lot richer than I am. And I remember the story had come out, and he was like, ‘Why would you do that?’ And I was like, ‘Why wouldn’t you do that, you schmuck?'”
Reuters
