George Clooney gave $1 million to 14 of his friends in 2013 because he credits his success to them.
George Clooney
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.
He said: "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. [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.
"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. 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?'"
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