(2 Oct 2016) CLOONEY LEADS HOLLYWOOD CHARITY EVENT: 'THIS IS A FAMILY'
A charity that helps Hollywood's lower-paid workers with retirement and health care got a star-studded fundraiser on Saturday (1 October 2016), with George Clooney saying "this is a family."
Clooney was hosting the event at the Motion Picture and Television Fund's campus in Woodland Hills, California, as the organization celebrated its 95th year with drop-ins from Hugh Jackman, Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Douglas.
"This is a community. This is a family here. And we all feel it. We get fired, we get other jobs, we all have gone through these other things. And so to walk through the cafeteria in there and see people I worked with 35 years ago, you feel really good about the fact that we are all still participating in one another's lives," Clooney said.
Clooney hadn't personally benefited from the nonprofit, but had gotten help early in his career from the Screen Actors Guild.
"My union was a big deal. The thing was early on, everyone wanted to have Screen Actors Guild – you had to work enough to get insurance," he said. "So it was always trying to get three jobs a year so that you were able to hold on to some health insurance. So that was years and years and years of trying to do that for me. And then it worked out later."
The event – dubbed Hollywood's Night Under the Stars – and featuring performances from Jackman, Jane Lynch and others, was held steps away from the retirement homes of aging actors and Hollywood laborers.
Fox Filmed Entertainment CEO Jim Gianopulos cracked that Clooney "has his own little retirement home."
Clooney said: "Yeah, I've got a bungalow over there. The reality is – the reason this is here is because -- this isn't – Hollywood isn't just about people who have sort of gotten lucky in life. It's also about people who just are journeyman actors and journeyman set decorators and things like that. And there's a lot of that here. That's the thing that I think makes it feel more like a family."
Clooney demurred when asked whether he'd been in contact with friend Brad Pitt since his split from Angelina Jolie.
Jackman said he'd flown to the event on a plane with Michael Douglas.
"When you're with someone like Michael Douglas – you will hear some of the greatest stories of life. Not just sort of showbiz stories," Jackman said. "That man is – he's lived an amazing life. So yeah -- when you're with someone like him, you just shut up and listen."
Jackman called the organization "a miracle, really."
"Whatever you do – whether you're a gaffer or grip, make up, actor – it doesn't matter," he said. "Whether you've been in 100 movies or whether you've been in five movies -- once you're part of that family, you were always a part of that family. And that's why I love this organization. That's why I support it as much as I can."
Jackman was performing songs from "Les Miserables" at the event. He's also set to perform at a Hillary Clinton fundraiser in several weeks in New York.
"I am an Aussie, so in my way, I want to support her. I have kids that live here and I think it's an important cause. I'm happy to get out there and sing and be part of it," he said.
Also in attendance: departing DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, actor Bryan Cranston and director Christopher Nolan.
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