George Clooney on Insomnia & Drinking Too Much

George Clooney has a life most men would kill for: a successful film career, good looks, political influence, a villa in Italy and an endless stream of beautiful girlfriends. Yet Clooney's life is not always as glamorous as it seems. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 50-year-old actor reveals the hidden side of his very public life. For example, he hasn't toasted his two Oscar nominations, because he's worried that he may have a drinking problem.

"I drink, at times, too much," says Clooney. "I do enjoy drinking, and there have been times in my life when it's crossed the line from being fun to having to drink late at night for absolutely no reason. So what I do is, I stop. I haven't had a drink since New Year's Eve."

The Descendants actor scoffs at the notion that he's a modern-day playboy, flirting with women at European casinos into the wee hours. In fact, he's an insomniac who tries to be in bed by 10:00 p.m. almost every night, and can't sleep without the television on.

"Turning off the television causes me to think, and once I start that vision roaring, I have a very tough time getting to sleep," he admits. "Without question, I wake every night five times."

Clooney also lives with constant, nearly-debilitating pain, the result of a head injury on the set of Syriana. A nine-hour surgery in 2005 made the injury bearable, but he still feels the effects every day.

"I've gone from where I can't function, where 'I just can't live like this,' to 'I've got a bad headache,'" Clooney says of his progress. "As the day goes on, it gets worse. My ears will literally pop and my head goes ape-s***. But I'm scrappy."

What about the beautiful girlfriends, you ask? Even with attractive women like Stacy Keibler around, Clooney says he still gets lonely -- and oddly enough, it's when he's around people that he feels it the most.

"Anyone would be lying if they said they didn’t get lonely at times," he says. "The loneliest you will get is in the most public of arenas: You will go to a place and end up in the smallest compartment possible, because it's a distraction to everybody, and you end up not getting to enjoy it like everyone else."

OK, so George Clooney is only human. But he's also an actor who is fiercely devoted to his friends, who spends his leisure time advocating for peace in Sudan, and who works for less money than other A-list stars in order to do projects he believes in. And still, he doesn't take himself too seriously, as demonstrated by his very entertaining prank war with Brad Pitt. Clooney may not actually be as perfect as he seems, but that doesn't make us love him any less.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/george-clooney-insomnia-drinking-too-much/1-a-428686

T.A.T.u. Talisa Soto Tamala Jones Tami Donaldson Tamie Sheffield Tara Conner