Hollywood star George Clooney credits “failing” as a crucial element for significant life learnings, asserting that success isn’t necessarily a good teacher.
The 64-year-old actor has achieved immense success in Hollywood, establishing himself as one of the most recognizable and highest-paid stars globally. However, George believes he has gained valuable insights from some of his notable flops, particularly the 1997 film Batman and Robin.
When asked about the film from which he learned the most, George, who starred alongside renowned actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman, and Alicia Silverstone in the critically panned movie, told People magazine, “Batman and Robin! I learned a lot (from) that one. You don’t learn from succeeding; you learn from failing, and then you have to figure it out along the way, so it’s helpful.”
In Batman and Robin, directed by Joel Schumacher, George portrayed Batman, a role that garnered generally negative reviews from critics. He has previously criticized his own performance in this film.
Reflecting on his experience in a 2019 conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, George admitted, “I wasn’t good in it; it wasn’t a good film. What I learned from that failure was that I had to relearn how I was working. Now, I wasn’t just an actor getting a role; I was being held responsible for the film itself. So the next three films I did were Three Kings, Out of Sight, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? That was a very specific choice for me to find better projects.”
Earlier this year, George expressed that he is no longer in a “rush to succeed.” He feels he has already “had (his) career in many ways” and is now content prioritizing his family over personal goals in the film industry.
The actor, who shares eight-year-old twins Ella and Alexander with his wife Amal, stated, “I’m not in that mass rush to succeed anymore. I’ve had my career in many ways, and you know things were winding down in a way, so I get to be home with my kids a lot and it’s fun. I’m still young enough that I can run around with them. That’s going away quickly, but I can still do it right now.”
George and Amal recently celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary, and he shared how they marked the special occasion: “We had a nice dinner night before last.” When asked about the next 11 years for the couple, George humorously remarked, “Mostly be me gumming bread because I’m 64, so I’ll be 75.”
In previous statements, George has also noted that he feels he’s been the “recipient of a lot of luck” throughout his life.