George Clooney Opens Up About Being Involved In Lifelong Activism

Oscar winner George Clooney recently opened up about being vocal about issues like politics and activism, saying that it was important to be a part of the conversation about the things that affect the lives of many people.

Speaking in an interview for People Magazine’s People of the Year issue, the 59-year-old superstar revealed that his parents, Nick Clooney and Nina Bruce Warren, were always immersed in politics and social activism and always taught him that it was their “civic duty” to talk about these things.

“You had to be involved. My mother and father were involved, and we were [taught] it is your civic duty. I remember my father saying, ‘Don’t come back and look me in the eye unless you stand up to [bullies and racists].’ I am glad to have been raised that way,” Clooney said.

Clooney and his father were among the people who were arrested and later released in March 2012 during a protest in Washington, D.C. The protest took place in front of the Sudanese embassy and brought attention to a humanitarian crisis caused by then-President Omar al-Bashir.

In the same interview, the “Descendants” star also explained that he is in the same situation as his parents were when he was young. The actor is also planning to engage his 3-year-old twins, Ella and Alexander, in conversations related to what is happening around them.

Clooney shared that he feels he doesn’t want to be one of those parents who remain silent when their children ask some important questions about society.

“I am in the same situation as most fathers of 3-year-olds: I don’t want my children when they’re 15 years old to turn around and say, ‘There was a time when they were putting kids in cages? And what did you do about that? ’ And if the answer is ‘nothing,’ then I would be ashamed,” Clooney told the publication.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Clooney will be seen next in the movie “The Midnight Sky.” The film tells the story of a lonely scientist named Augustine (Clooney), who races to stop Sully (Felicity Jones) and her team of fellow astronauts from returning home to a global catastrophe.

“The Midnight Sky” will be available for streaming on Netflix on Dec. 23.