George Clooneyis opening up about life as a father of twins.
PEOPLE has an exclusive preview of a sit-down the actor did withGood Morning America’sMichael Strahanthat airs in full on Thursday, in which he reflected on the most surprising thing about raising 6½-year-old twinsElla and Alexanderwith wifeAmal Clooney.
“Twins tell you a lot,” George, 62, told Strahan, 52, who himself is a dad to four kids including 19-year-old twin girlsIsabella and Sophia.
“When you have twins and you’re raising [them] the same time, the same way, and they’re completely different human beings, you realize how little say you have in who they are,” continued George. “You try to give them some boundaries and you try to give them things that you believe in, but they’re just different.”
Added theOscarwinner, who was promoting his latest directorial effortThe Boys in the Boat, “They come out with an opinion, and it’s amazing to watch how different my kids' personalities are.”
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George Clooney in Los Angeles on Dec. 11, 2023.Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images
Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images
George and Amal, 45, welcomed their children in June 2017. Since their twins were born, the Clooneys have been vocal about their distinct personalities.
Alexander, according to George, is the more outgoing sibling — a fact that was proven whenthe boy crashed his dad’s interview withGQin 2021. And like his dad, he also has a funny side.
“Alexander, every morning, eight in the morning, bangs on my bedroom door,” George shared on theWTF with Marc Maronpodcast, noting that his son makes him"laugh out loud" with his morning routine. “I go, ‘Who is it?’ And he goes, ‘It is I, Alexander Clooney.’ "
Like many young boys, Alexander also loves cars — an obsession that can sometimes bedangerous.
“He goes outside and he hugs my car. ‘Car!’ and he hugs it,” George said onThe Ellen DeGeneres Showin 2019, going on to joke, “Which is bad when I’m driving. It’s really not good. He gets right in the wheel well.”
Amal Clooney and George Clooney on Aug. 31, 2023, in Venice, Italy.Jacopo Raule/Getty
Jacopo Raule/Getty
Unlike Alexander, George’s daughter is fairly reserved, according to him. “Ellais very shy around adults,” theERalum told PEOPLE in 2020.
She’salso a little fashionista, and looks a lot like her mother, George has said. “My daughter is up in my wife’s closet with purses going, ‘Mine!’ " he noted toEllen DeGeneresin 2019. “So I see this is going to be a fun, fun life for me.”
And as serious as she may be, Ella is also a bit of a prankster. “My whole job, really, is to teach them terrible things,” George joked in a 2021 interview withHoda Kotbfor theTodayshow. “Mydaughter has now picked up the mantle.”
“She used to think it was really gross, all the things we did, but then she saw how many laughs Alexander got and now she’s taken it up, too,” he added.
Amal Clooney and George Clooney in Seattle on Dec. 7, 2023.Mat Hayward/Getty
Mat Hayward/Getty
Just on Monday, George told PEOPLE at theLos Angeles premiereofThe Boys in the Boatthat he’s pulling out all the stops to encourage his twins to behave, sharing his relatable parenting trick around Christmastime.
“They’re still all into the Santa thing, which is very helpful, because when my kids are acting poorly, let’s say in July,I have a call from Santa,” he said. “And I go, ‘Hey Santa, how’s it going?’ And he’s like, ‘Everything’s going good. How are the kids?’ "
“And I go, ‘Well, I don’t know. Kids, how are you guys doing?’ They’re like, [whining]. And then I get away with it,” the actor continued of teasing the pair.
Adding that he cast a “friend” as Santa, George noted, “I actually have a buddy whose phone comes up ‘Santa.’ "
source: people.com
