George Clooney criticizes onlookers who filmed him after 2018 motorbike crash in Italy
The 'Ocean's Eleven' actor was involved in a scary accident in 2018 that changed his perspective on his own celebrity
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}George Clooney is speaking out against modern social media culture after his scary motorbike accident three years ago.
In 2018, the actor was riding his motorbike on the Italian island of Sardinia when an oncoming car turned suddenly into his lane and he was thrown several yards in the air. Fortunately, despite going around 75 mph, the actor didn’t suffer any serious long-term injuries and he was able to make a full recovery.
However, speaking to The Sunday Times, Clooney, 60, lamented the fact that no one seemed interested in helping him at the time. Instead, a crowd gathered around him to film the aftermath of the incident.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I was waiting for my switch to turn off," he began.
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George Clooney spoke out about his motorbike accident in 2018. (Invision/AP)
"If you’re in the public eye," he continued, "What you realize when you’re on the ground thinking it’s the last minute of your life is that, for some people, it’s just going to be entertainment for their Facebook page. I’m a pretty positive guy, but that told me – clearly – that you really are here just for their entertainment."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He said that he wanted to take everyone and "shake them."
The actor noted that he personally tries to avoid using his phone to capture things after the incident. He noted that his reaction to his children doing something is to record it, but he now tries to remain present and in the moment with them.
"People are living their lives this way and I fight against it. If my kids do something cute, I want to take a picture, but I have to say, ‘Be in the moment – you don’t have to record everything,'" Clooney mused.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}George Clooney discussed the new culture in Hollywood following the #MeToo movement. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)
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Clooney was thrown over the front of his bike and up in the air before landing on the asphalt. He hit a car windscreen head first, causing the glass to shatter before he was tossed to the ground. The media gathered at the John Paul II hospital in Olbia where Clooney was treated at the time.
Elsewhere in his interview, Clooney talked about modern culture further, noting that he has been paying attention to how Hollywood is changing since the fall of Harvey Weinstein and the beginning of the #MeToo movement.
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"It’s changed in this way," he said of Hollywood. "On top of the terrible things Weinstein did, being a jerk at work is now not OK."
George Clooney was involved in a car accident in Italy in 2018. (Gotham/GC Images)
The actor also cited producer Scott Rudin to make the point that such behavior is not acceptable in the workplace anymore.
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"Just because you’re a boss, it doesn’t mean you get to shit on people. I’ve been the boss and the guy being sh-- on," he explained. "You can’t get away with being a dick any more — you’d get ratted out. Now there’s sometimes an overcorrection, where everyone points fingers, but that will settle. It always does. And I can’t imagine some producer having a casting session alone in his hotel room with a young girl any more. It’s moving in the right direction."