George Clooney is looking back at one of the more surreal moments from his early Hollywood days — getting personally scolded by the legendary Frank Sinatra.
While attending the Los Angeles premiere of his new film Jay Kelly on Thursday (Oct. 23), the actor recalled his brushes with legendary artists like Sinatra and Tony Bennett during a time when he was trying to get a foothold in the industry.
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“I remember being on the road […] I was my Aunt Rosemary’s driver when she was singing,” Clooney told People. “And I hadn’t known her much when I was young because I lived in Kentucky. She was the Hollywood aunt. So I came out to make a living and I was her driver.”
At the time, Clooney found himself in close proximity to giants of American music, including Bennett, Sinatra and more.
“I got to drive [her] and Tony Bennett, and all of these really wonderful singers around for a year,” he said. “I got a really good life lesson in success and failure, and handling it.”
One of the more unexpected encounters came courtesy of Sinatra himself, who wasn’t thrilled with a press boycott Clooney was involved in. “I remember he was mad at me once because I led this boycott about […] some press freedoms, and he called me because people thought he was sick and there were helicopters flying over his [home],” Clooney recalled. “And he called me going, ‘It’s not working what you’re doing!’”
Still, Clooney took the confrontation in stride. “He was great,” he added. “I got yelled at by Frank Sinatra!”
Clooney, who would go on to win Oscars for both acting and producing, said those formative experiences helped shape his approach to success — especially the importance of staying grounded.
“Most of my friends, we’ve been friends for 40 years. I slept on their couch when I was broke. And they’re always around when people are giving you too much credit,” he said. “They’re the first people to remind you that they’re full of crap.”
