George Clooney Refused to Raise His Kids in Hollywood Because ‘They Were Never Going to Get a Fair Shake at Life,’ Moved to a Farm in France Where ‘They Don’t Give a S— About Fame’

George Clooney opened up to Esquire magazine about his decision to move his family out of Hollywood after the birth of his twin sons. The Oscar winner’s family lives on a farm, far away from Los Angeles and, as Clooney explained, a culture that would’ve robbed his children of getting a “fair shake” at life.

“Yeah, we’re very lucky. You know, we live on a farm in France,” Clooney said. “A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid I hated the whole idea of it. But now, for them, it’s like—they’re not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.”

“I was worried about raising our kids in L.A., in the culture of Hollywood,” the actor continued. “I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life. France—they kind of don’t give a shit about fame. I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids.”

Clooney has been making the press rounds quite frequently this year thanks to his now-wrapped Broadway run and Tony nomination for “Good Night and Good Luck” and his Oscar-contending lead role in Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly,” which world-premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Clooney headlines the movie in the title role. Written by Baumbach and Emily Mortimer, the film stars the Oscar winner as a world famous movie star in his 60s who faces a personal reckoning when he travels to an Italian film festival to receive a tribute award. Laura Dern stars as Jay’s publicist, while Adam Sandler plays his manager. One of the reckonings Jay Kelly faces in the movie is longstanding criticism that he always just plays himself in his movies.

“Do people say that I only play myself? I don’t give a shit,” Clooney told Vanity Fair before the film’s Venice premiere. “There aren’t that many guys in my age group that are allowed to do both broad comedies like ‘O Brother ’ and then do ‘Michael Clayton’ or ‘Syriana’. So if that means I’m playing myself all the time, I don’t give a shit. … Have you ever tried playing yourself? It’s hard to do.”

Head over to Esquire’s website to read Clooney’s latest cover story in its entirety.