HOLLYWOOD star George Clooney may have been crowned "No 1 man's man" in the past, but now he has earned a new tag: the poster boy for sewing.
Did you say sewing?
Correct. Clooney, whose film roles include Ocean's Eleven, Syriana and The Midnight Sky, revealed that during lockdown he has become a dab hand at embracing the ethos of make do and mend.
In an interview with AARP magazine, he said: "I do a lot of sewing the kids' clothes. And my wife's dress that tore a couple of times. I was a bachelor for a long time and didn't have any money, and you have to learn how to repair things."
Any other projects?
The actor, who lives with his human rights barrister wife Amal and their three-year-old twins, also rewired his assistant's sewing machine.
After finding himself spending more time at home due to the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions impacting the film and TV industry, Clooney discovered much-needed solace in DIY.
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He stained the entire interior and exterior of his house, as well as all the furniture. "It was getting dingy and I had buckets of stain, and I was like, 'Well, what else am I going to do?' It made me feel better. And I put chicken wire all around the dog yard."
A handy man to have around?
True. Although the Oscar winner isn't shy of singing his own praises. According to Clooney: "If we were on an island and you had to pick somebody to help you survive, I would pick me.
"Ask all of my friends and they would pick me, too. I can make a waterspout out of this and a pitcher out of that."
Where did his man's man tag come from?
A list compiled by AskMen.com in 2006 saw Clooney beat off rap mogul Jay-Z, adventurer-entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, former cyclist Lance Armstrong and designer Tom Ford to claim top spot.
Are any of them into sewing?
Unconfirmed. Although you would imagine Tom Ford knows his way around a needle and thread.
Who is sewing?
A few folk it would seem. The men’s magazine Esquire recently ran a story titled: “Rise Of The Sew Bro: Why Men Have Been Crafting Their Own Clothes Over Lockdown”.
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Anything else?
While appearing on The Howard Stern Show in December, Clooney gave other illuminating insight into his lockdown domestic routine, saying: "I do seven loads of wash a day, you know, I'm mopping the floor, I'm the chef of the house."
What about the day job?
Clooney is reported to have signed up to produce and star in a new Buck Rogers TV reboot. We imagine he will be looking forward to getting back to work for a rest.
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