The twins that George Clooney shares with his wife of more than a decade, Amal Clooney, are somehow, impossibly already eight-years-old. And given the recent proliferation of children of actors and celebrities branching out on their own, soon they’ll be at the age that they might decide to get into showbiz themselves.
While attending the premiere of his new film Jay Kelly during the New York Film Festival on Monday, Sept. 29, Clooney was asked the million dollar question by E! News of whether Alexander and Ella had already inherited their dad’s acting bug.
“I don’t know—it’s so hard to tell at eight,” the 64-year-old said. “They’re very funny kids, and they love to get up and sing. But you know, I hope they do exactly what they want to do in life, and that’s all you can hope for.”
When asked if his kids understand what they do—in addition to Clooney’s acting career, Amal is also a high profile international human rights lawyer—he admitted that “they have some idea.”
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“My kid came up to me the other day and said, ‘Papa what’s famous? Somebody in my class said you’re famous,’” the Burn After Reading star recalled, before quipping in his trademark fashion, “I said, ‘Tell that kid I’m very famous.’”
But part of the reason for the twins not understanding what their dad does for a living is because they haven’t actually seen him acting in a movie yet, although they have heard his voice.
“They saw Fantastic Mr. Fox,” Clooney said if his 2009 Wes Anderson stop motion animated film. However, he joked that the one film he would never let them watch is 1997’s Batman & Robin because he wants them “to have respect for me.” Though, he added that his kids are “still a little young” to watch most of his films.
Despite their super stardom, the A-list couple have attempted to give Alexander and Ella as normal a life as possible and keep them far away out of the spotlight. While speaking with Glamour back in July, Amal was asked how the couple protects their family’s privacy when they’re globally recognizable.
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“Creating private moments and spaces is becoming increasingly difficult,” the 47-year-old said, noting that it’s why they tend to entertain guests at home. “I now have 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.”
“And I would say becoming a parent means you’re more troubled by some of the intrusions,” she continued. “So we 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.”
