♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY,
WE'RE TALKING TO MR. GEORGE CLOONEY, WHO IS JOINING US FROM
ENGLAND.
I DO WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT...
WELL, ABOUT LETTER WRITING.
I HAD-- YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE REDISCOVERING WRITING EACH OTHER
LETTERS RIGHT NOW.
I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A BIG FAN, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE HAD
SOME EXTRAORDINARY CORRESPONDENCE OVER THE YEARS,
AND THAT YOU'RE A HUGE FAN OF LETTER WRITING.
IS IT TRUE THAT YOU HAVE A LETTER FROM GREGORY PECK?
>> I HAVE LETTERS FROM GREGORY PECK AND FROM PAUL NEWMAN, AND
FROM WALTER CRONKITE.
AND, YOU KNOW, AND I-- I'M SUCH A HUGE FAN OF LETTER WRITING IN
GENERAL, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, LOOK, THESE THINGS ARE NICE.
THE PHONE IS GREAT, AND IT'S TERRIFIC THAT YOU CAN GET A TEXT
FROM SOMEBODY THAT SAYS, "GOOD TO SEE YOU"
BUT THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT HOLDING A PIECE OF PAPER IN YOUR
HAND, THAT'S BEEN WRITTEN ON THAT-- AND I WRITE LETTERS, YOU
KNOW, EVERY DAY.
>> Stephen: REALLY?
WHAT'S THE LAST LETTER-- WHAT'S THE LAST LETTER YOU WROTE?
>> I WROTE ONE TO MY WIFE YESTERDAY-- TWO DAYS AGO.
>> Stephen: BUT YOU'RE IN THE SAME HOUSE TOGETHER, YOU JUST
SAID.
>> BUT WE DON'T TALK, SO I JUST WRITE.
>> Stephen: NO EYE CONTACT WITH CLOONEY.
THAT'S THE RULE, RIGHT?
>> IT'S BEEN THE RULE FOR A LONG TIME, YOU KNOW.
IF YOU KNOW ABOUT MY CAREER.
>> Stephen: WHAT DID CRONKITE WRITE YOU?
WHY DID WALTER CRONKITE WRITE YOU?
>> WE HAD DONE "FAIL SAFE," THIS LIVE SHOW FOR CBS, AND I HAD
GOTTEN HIM TO COME TO THE INTRO.
AND IT WAS ACTUALLY REALLY FUNNY BECAUSE IT WAS REALLY BIG AND
AMBITIOUS.
THIS WAS THE FIRST LIVE PRODUCTION BACK IN A LONG TIME.
>> Stephen: I REMEMBER.
>> AND HE'S GOING TO INTRODUCE IT.
AND HOW MANY LIVE NEWSCASTS HAS HE DONE OVER HIS LIFETIME.
AND HE STARTS US OFF WITH THE INTRODUCTION, AND HE MESSES IT
UP.
WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, UN-- WE ALL WERE LIKE...
>> Stephen: THE LAST GUY, OF ALL THE PEOPLE--
>> OF ALL THE PEOPLE.
>> Stephen: CRONKITE SHANKS IT.
>> AND HE SHANKED IT.
>> AND HE COMES OVER TO ME RIGHT AFTER IT, I'M ABOUT TO GO ON,
I'M IN THE SHOW.
AND IN THIS BEAUTIFUL BOOMING VOICE OF HIS HE SAYS, "SORRY, I
( BLEEP ) UP, GEORGE."
>> Stephen: AND THAT'S THE WAY IT IS.
>> JUST HEARING HIM SAY THAT WORD, YOU KNOW, MADE-- BUT HE
WROTE ME A LETTER ABOUT DOING THAT PROJECT.
AND JUST ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BEING INSANE ENOUGH TO, YOU KNOW,
JUMP-- DIVE OFF A DIVING BOARD AND INTO A POOL, NOT KNOWING IF
THERE'S ANY WATER IN IT, YOU KNOW.
IT'S A REALLY WONDERFUL LETTER.
>> Stephen: WHAT ABOUT PAUL NEWMAN?
CAN I HIT YOU UP FOR THAT ONE, TOO?
>> THAT ONE IS GREAT.
I HAD DONE A MOVIE THAT REALLY BOMBED CALLED "LEATHERHEADS."
AND HE AND I WOULD WRITE EACH OTHER ALL THE TIME.
AND WE HAD A REALLY FUNNY RELATIONSHIP.
AND HE-- HE WAS STILL RACING HIS CARS.
THAT'S WHAT IT IS.
AND HE WRECKED ONE OF THEM AROUND THE SAME TIME THAT MY
MOVIE CAME OUT.
SO HE HAD THE-- THE POSTER SORT OF SUPER-IMPOSED ON TO HIS
CRASHED CAR AND THE POSTER OF MY MOVIE, OF "LEATHERHEADS "AND HE
SENT ME A PICTURE OF THE CRASHED CAR AND SAID, "IT HAPPENS TO ALL
OF US, PAL."
HE WAS FUNNY -- >> Stephen: FANTASTIC.
>> ALSO GREGORY PECK AND WALTER CRONKITE, AND PAUL NEWMAN, YOU
KNOW, YOU WANT THEM TO BE WHO YOU IMAGINE THEM TO BE AND THEY
WERE.
THEY WERE EVER BIT THE PERSON YOU WANTED THEM TO BE.
>> Stephen: ONE LAST THING, I JUST-- YOU HAVE BEEN SHOWERED
WITH ACCOLADES THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER.
BUT YOU'RE "G.Q." MAN OF THE YEAR THIS YEAR.
YOU'RE "PEOPLE" MAGAZINE'S "MAN OF THE YEAR."
WHO IS YOUR ICON OF THE YEAR?
>> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU.
>> I HAVE TO THINK-- YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A PROFESSIONAL.
I WILL TELL YOU THIS.
I THINK THERE IS NO-- NO OTHER ENTITY THAT HAS SHOWED US HOW
IMPORTANT THEY ARE THAN THE PEOPLE WHOSE TITLE COMES WITH
THE WORD "ESSENTIAL" IN FRONT OF IT-- ESSENTIAL WORKERS.
WE NOW REALIZE THAT THE GROCER IS ESSENTIAL TO KEEP US ALIVE,
AND THE HEALTHCARE WORKERS, AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACTUALLY
BEEN ON THE FRONT LINES AND RISKING THEIR LIVES TO MAKE SURE
THAT THE GARBAGE GETS TAKEN OUT, AND-- YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE THAT
ARE UNDERPAID AND UNDERVALUED NOW NEED TO BE PAID BETTER AND
VALUED MORE.
YOU KNOW, AND I THINK IF THERE'S ANYTHING GOOD THAT CAN COME OUT
OF ALL THIS, IT MIGHT VERY WELL BE THAT WE UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH
WE NEED ONE ANOTHER, IN PARTICULAR.
SO I WOULD SAY THE ESSENTIAL WORKERS WOULD BE MY ICON OF THE
YEAR.
>> Stephen: AMEN.
WELL, MERRY CHRISTMAS, GEORGE.
AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.
>> GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> Stephen: GOOD TO SEE YOU, TOO.
>> I'LL CHECK IN, EVERY FIVE YEARS OR SOMETHING.
>> Stephen: SEE YOU IN 2025.
"THE MIDNIGHT SKY" IS AVAILABLE ON NETFLIX DECEMBER 23.
THE MAN IS GEORGE CLOONEY, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.