George Clooney and Martin Sheen play plaintiffs' lead co-counsel David Boies and Theodore B. Olson, the all-star attorneys who notably faced-off in Bush v. Gore. Christine Lahti and Jamie Lee Curtis play plaintiffs Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, a lesbian couple together for eleven years and the parents of four boys. Matthew Morrison and Matt Bomer play plaintiffs Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo, a gay couple together over ten years. Jane Lynch plays despicable opponent of same-sex marriage Maggie Gallagher, co-founder and former chairman of the National Organization for Marriage. Rob Reiner plays David Blankenhorn, founder and president of the Institute for American Values. Additional cast includes Emmy Award-winning journalist Campbell Brown, Emmy Award-nominee Jesse Tyler Ferguson, prominent gay rights activist Cleve Jones, Tony Award-nominee Rory O'Malley, actor Chris Colfer, Emmy Award-winner Yeardley Smith, and acclaimed Star Trek television and film star George Takei. George Clooney has for long been the subject of rampant tabloid speculation over his sexuality, but he says he doesn't mind. In a new interview with The Advocate's Brandon Voss, the 50-year-old Hollywood hunk comes clean about those paparazzi rumors while revealing intimate details of his so-called "bromance" with "Ocean's Eleven" co-star Brad Pitt and speaking at length about his much-publicized support for marriage equality. "I think it's funny, but the last thing you'll ever see me do is jump up and down, saying, 'These are lies!' That would be unfair and unkind to my good friends in the gay community," Clooney said. "I'm not going to let anyone make it seem like being gay is a bad thing. My private life is private, and I'm very happy in it. Who does it hurt if someone thinks I'm gay? I'll be long dead and there will still be people who say I was gay. I don't give a sh*t."
So why does "The Descendants" star -- who will next be seen in Dustin Lance Black's play "8," about California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage -- feel so passionate about marriage equality? "It's always been this albatross that stood out to me as the final leg of the civil rights movement," he told Voss. "Well before Prop. 8, I've made the point that every time we've stood against equality, we've been on the wrong side of history. It's the same kind of argument they made when they didn't want blacks to serve in the military, or when they didn't want blacks to marry whites. One day the marriage equality fight will look as archaic as George Wallace standing on the University of Alabama steps keeping James Hood from attending college because he was black. People will be embarrassed to have been on the wrong side." As for his relationship with Pitt, Clooney clarifies that while the pair is frequently photographed together at award shows and other events, "the truth is that we see each other very rarely, maybe a couple times a year." He went on to note, "I've had great fun spending time with my friend again over the awards season. Not only do I enjoy him as a person and respect his talent, but I also love what he does in the world. I can't speak highly enough about how hard he works at making the world better."
Other COFL Articles on Marriage Equality:
Federal Court Rules Unconstitutional Ban on Gay Marriage in California
New York Legalizes Same Sex Marriage
"Archie" Issue Featuring Same- Sex Marriage Sells Out Affter Boycott Threat