In an interview that will air Monday night on CBS' "Entertainment Tonight," President Barrack Obama had nothing but praise of the 51-year-old actor George Clooney telling Nancy O'Dell that they bonded on their mutual concern over Darfur even before Obama was elected to presidency in 2008.
President Obama said in the interview, "That was an issue that I was working together on a bipartisan basis, and George, 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, and he is a good man, and a good friend," according to reports by ABC.
Clooney's role as a humanitarian, particularly in the Darfur field is a well-known fact. Clooney's involvement in the Darfur conflict goes beyond donating large sums of money and hosting charity events. He is also actively involved in advocacy through the United Nations and even the White House. Such has been his involvement in the Darfur crisis that the United Nation's Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named the actor UN Peace Messenger. In 2012, he was arrested for a protesting outside the Sudanese Embassy and charged with civil disobedience.
President Obama tells ET that Clooney's involvement and dedication to the Darfur crisis as a prominent public figure, rather than his Hollywood stardom, is what really bonds them in friendship.
"He's very protective about not bothering me. And he's also sensitive to the fact that if he's around a lot, then somehow it'll be tagged as 'Obama hanging out with Hollywood stars,' and that's not who he is," as reported by ABC.
First Lady Michelle Obama also had kind words for the actor-director, as interviewer O'Dell agreed with the President, saying "he's a powerful guy too" Lady O interrupted saying, " He's cute too...I mean, I'm just saying. I've noticed. Just... factually. It's a fact," as reported by the Huffington Post.
Regardless of political affiliations, it's hard to disagree with the Obamas on this one. The episode airs Monday night on CBS.
