With classrooms opening all across the country, George Clooney opened a brand new school in Los Angeles on Wednesday, aimed at helping future filmmakers.
The 61-year-old actor and filmmaker helped open the Roybal School of Film and Television Production Magnet in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday.
He was joined by fellow actors and Roybal Advisory Board Members Don Cheadle and Mindy Kaling for the school's launch.
Clooney stepped out with a navy blue polo shirt and light blue jeans for the event on Wednesday.
He rocked his typical salt-and-pepper beard while completing his look with grey shoes.
Clooney joked during the ceremony, 'When you think of actors, you don't think of education, in general. I mean, you look at me, you just think, "Oh, he's just the best Batman of all-time.'
And George Clooney knows his audience so he even throws in a Batman reference. “When you think of me, you think he’s just the best Batman,” to which Don Cheadle quips, “best available.” Then Clooney brings up Ben Affleck as Batman — “He’s got nothing on me.” Crowd loved it.
He also spoke with ET at the launch about why he thought creating this school in Los Angeles was so important.
'We're excited about this. We feel like there’s a real opportunity here, and it’s something that I think we missed in our industry, and I think it’s something that it’s pretty obvious what the solution is — and it’s starting earlier,' he said.
'I just felt like, if you see a hole, you try to fill it, and this is one that it just seemed like — I was in London, and we were staffing up, and because it’s been a very busy time in the industry, it’s hard to find crew, and we need to do a lot better about inclusivity,' he mentioned.
When asked if he would actually teach a class at the magnet school, Clooney said he would most certainly be stopping by.
'Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm gonna come in. And listen, this is below-the-line guys, right? So, I'm not really gonna come in and talk about directing or acting, but I can come in and sit down with the kids when they're editing and stuff like that, so, something like that,' Clooney explained.
When asked about how he'd feel about his own children - 5-year-old twins Alexander and Ella - pursuing a showbiz career, Clooney joked they're already smarter than him.
'They can do whatever they want. My guess is that they're a little smarter than me, so, they'll probably do something -- they already speak three languages, so, I'm still working on English,' Clooney quipped.
The Roybal School of Film and Television Production Magnet was first announced in June in conjunction with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
Clooney and his production partner Grant Heslov teamed up with Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner, Cheadle, Kaling and others like Kerry Washington, Nicole Avant, Eva Longoria, Working Title Films founders Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Co-Chairman Bryan Lourd to form the school
The school is described as, 'a specialized academy housed within the Edward R. Roybal Learning Center,' which will provide, 'Los Angeles Unified teachers with access to renowned storytellers, along with industry professionals and experts, and support students with a robust academic education and practical training, establishing a clear pathway to good-paying jobs.'
