George Clooney is reflecting on his near-fatal motorcycle accident and the realization he had while lying injured on the ground about what it meant to be a celebrity.
The incident took place in 2018 while filming for the miniseries "Catch-22." Clooney was riding his motorcycle at 70 mph when he collided with another vehicle. Speaking in an interview with The Sunday Times, Clooney recalled waiting for his "switch to turn off."
According to NME, Clooney said he then got a rude awakening.
Clooney said he realized that, as people gathered around him taking videos and photos while he lay there injured, some people were only interested in their social media.
"If you’re in the public eye, what you realize when you’re on the ground thinking it’s the last minute of your life is that, for some people, it’s just going to be entertainment for their Facebook page," he said. "I’m a pretty positive guy, but that told me, clearly, that you really are here just for their entertainment," Clooney added.
"You want to take everyone and shake them."
Clooney previously spoke about the harrowing experience with The Independent.
"I got lucky there," he said. "I flipped through the air, and ended up landing on my knees. I could have landed on any other part of my body and been dead."
Clooney was taken to the hospital but discharged hours later after it was determined that his injuries were not serious. He said there was a lesson in the experience.
"You learn you're not allowed to ride motorcycles. My wife said, 'That's enough.'"
Clooney said it wasn't his first near-death experience. He had another close call in South Sudan.
"I had one time in South Sudan where we got pulled over and had guns stuck to our heads," he said. "They wanted to rob our truck."
The actor was also rushed to the hospital after he lost roughly 28 pounds for his role in "The Midnight Sky" in 2020.
"I think I was trying too hard to lose the weight quickly and probably wasn't taking care of myself," he told the Mirror. "It took a few weeks to get better and as a director it's not so easy because you need energy."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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