George Clooney is still a fan of President Obama, and the feeling is mutual. The president called Clooney “a wonderful guy” and applauded his politics and character in a joint interview with First Lady Michelle Obama for Monday's edition of "Entertainment Tonight."
“He is a terrific advocate on behalf of the people of Darfur and the people of Sudan who’ve been brutalized for a long time,” President Obama told “ET” co-anchor Nancy O’Dell. Their working relationship on Sudan — and their friendship — started when Obama was a junior senator and Clooney, “who had traveled there, done documentaries there and was very well-informed, came to testify in Congress, and so we got to know each other,” the president said.
As for whether Clooney has POTUS on speed-dial, Obama demurred, saying the activist actor is conservative when it comes to his using his line into the White House. “And he’s also sensitive to the fact that, you know, that if he’s around a lot than somehow it’ll be tagged as ‘Obama hanging out with Hollywood stars’ and that’s not who he is,” Obama added.
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For her part, the First Lady took a more aesthetic tack on her husband's A-list friend, pronouncing him "cute" twice during the sit-down discussion with O’Dell. Michelle Obama said she’s suspicious of a “conspiracy” afoot in the Oval Office, as each time Clooney comes by for a presidential tête-à-tête, the First Lady’s schedule happens to be booked. “I’m gonna explore that a little more,” she said.
Clooney opened his home in Studio City, Calif. for a wildly successful Obama fund-raiser on May 10 and will stump for the president again at two events for American expats in Geneva, Switzerland on Aug. 27.
Follow this link to watch a video clip of O’Dell’s interview with the President and First Lady.