George Clooney Didn't Think He Had 'Much of a Chance' with Wife Amal Due to 17-Year Age Difference

Mar. 15, 2025

Amal Clooney and George Clooney on Sept. 7, 2022.Photo:Mike Marsland/WireImage

Mike Marsland/WireImage

George Clooneyadmits he once assumed his age difference with wifeAmal Clooneywould be insurmountable.In a wide-ranging interview withThe New York Timesto promote hisBroadway debut inGood Night, and Good Luck, the actor at one point reflected on meeting the accomplished human rights attorney, whom he married in 2014.“I wasn’t really in the market for being a dad. Then I met Amal and we fell in love,” said George. “I have to say that, after that, everything made sense.“George, 63, and Amal, 47, share 7½-year-old twinsAlexander and Ella. The Oscar winner said he is “proud to be her husband. I’m proud to be the father of kids with her.“When they first met in 2013, he told theTimes, she “walked in” and “I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ " He added, “Then I didn’t really think I’d have much of a chance with her because I was 17 years older and she seemed to have everything she needed.“George Clooney and Amal Clooney on Sept. 1, 2024.ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/GettyNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.George shared more about their first impressions in a 2017 interview withThe Hollywood Reporter.“I thought she was beautiful, and I thought she was funny and obviously smart,” he shared at the time, adding, “She probably thought I was old. Then she sent some pictures from when she was here, and we were writing each other, emailing, talking, mostly about what was going on in each other’s lives, and over a period of time it became clear we were more than just friends.“Amal Clooney and George Clooney on Sept. 26, 2024.Dia Dipasupil/GettyThe PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!Amal toldVoguein 2018 that falling in love with George “felt like the most natural thing in the world.““It’s the one thing in life that I think is the biggest determinant of happiness, and it’s the thing you have the least control over,” she said of romance. “Are you going to meet this person? I was 35 when I met him. It wasn’t obvious that it was going to happen for me. And I wasn’t willing or excited about the idea of getting married or having a family in the absence of that.”

George Clooneyadmits he once assumed his age difference with wifeAmal Clooneywould be insurmountable.

In a wide-ranging interview withThe New York Timesto promote hisBroadway debut inGood Night, and Good Luck, the actor at one point reflected on meeting the accomplished human rights attorney, whom he married in 2014.

“I wasn’t really in the market for being a dad. Then I met Amal and we fell in love,” said George. “I have to say that, after that, everything made sense.”

George, 63, and Amal, 47, share 7½-year-old twinsAlexander and Ella. The Oscar winner said he is “proud to be her husband. I’m proud to be the father of kids with her.”

When they first met in 2013, he told theTimes, she “walked in” and “I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ " He added, “Then I didn’t really think I’d have much of a chance with her because I was 17 years older and she seemed to have everything she needed.”

George Clooney and Amal Clooney on Sept. 1, 2024.ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty

ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

George shared more about their first impressions in a 2017 interview withThe Hollywood Reporter.

“I thought she was beautiful, and I thought she was funny and obviously smart,” he shared at the time, adding, “She probably thought I was old. Then she sent some pictures from when she was here, and we were writing each other, emailing, talking, mostly about what was going on in each other’s lives, and over a period of time it became clear we were more than just friends.”

Amal Clooney and George Clooney on Sept. 26, 2024.Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Amal toldVoguein 2018 that falling in love with George “felt like the most natural thing in the world.”

“It’s the one thing in life that I think is the biggest determinant of happiness, and it’s the thing you have the least control over,” she said of romance. “Are you going to meet this person? I was 35 when I met him. It wasn’t obvious that it was going to happen for me. And I wasn’t willing or excited about the idea of getting married or having a family in the absence of that.”

source: people.com