It’s not exactly uncommon for celebrities to give their kids some far-out names. In fact, it’s becoming almost an expectation that when celebrities have a child, the name they choose is something peculiar. And the practice of searching for the most unique name has spread to include everyone - not just the rich and famous. Some celebrities have chosen to stick with more mildly eccentric names, but the one who chose to completely ignore the trend have become somewhat of a rarity. Actor and director George Clooney apparently falls under this rare type of celebrity who didn’t want to follow the trends, saying he and his wife didn’t want to give their kids “weird-ass” names.
While Gwyneth Paltrow and Elon Musk have pretty much been crowned queen and king of the wild baby name trend (the latter even incorporating special characters in his children’s names) George Clooney and his wife, Amal, have gone a different (or opposite) route. In an interview with AARP (the club of 60+ will be one silver fox richer when Clooney joins in a few months), Clooney explained why he and his wife have chosen relatively normal names for their children. Here it is in the actor’s own words:
I didn't want, like, weird-ass names for our kids. They're already going to have enough trouble. It's hard being the son of somebody famous and successful. Paul Newman's son killed himself. Gregory Peck's son killed himself. Bing Crosby had two sons kill themselves. I have an advantage because I'm so much older that by the time my son would feel competitive, I'll literally be gumming bread.
The actor took his time finding his own family dynamic, marrying in his 50s and only having kids a few years ago. George and Amal Clooney have 3-year-old twins, a boy and a girl named Alexander and Ella, respectively. Based on Clooney’s words, his choice in “normal” names was a conscious decision for the well being of his kids.
It’s true that children of celebrities, and celebrities who are children, have a rough go of it. It only makes sense to give them as much normalcy as possible when already being born into celebrity status.
As George Clooney so delicately puts it, he may have already given his son a leg up by being an older dad to him. Clooney’s career already had many peaks before his children were even born. And by the time they reach adulthood, he'll likely be nearing the end of his illustrious career.
Even though George Clooney has by far done his fair share of iconic films and winning awards, he’s still maintaining his relevance in Hollywood. His most recent film, The Midnight Sky, was a huge success and is available on Netflix. And while the movie was one of last year's biggest releases, you can now look ahead at some of the major films hitting the streamer this year using our 2021 release schedule.
