> At a Glance
> – George Clooney told W Magazine his first kiss happened at age 11 behind a Kentucky church
> – A director once mocked his real-life kissing style on set
> – 80 takes were needed for his single kiss with Julia Roberts in Ticket to Paradise
> – Why it matters: Fans get a rare peek at the Hollywood icon’s off-screen and on-screen romantic stumbles
George Clooney is trading emergency-room charm for candid confessions, dishing on his earliest kiss, directorial critiques, and the dozens of takes it took to pucker up with longtime co-star Julia Roberts.
First Kiss Confession
Clooney, 64, recalled the milestone moment to W Magazine:
> “[I had my first kiss] in the back of a church in my hometown of Augusta, Kentucky. I was 11.”
He added:
> “We were hiding from all of our friends who were outside waiting, saying, ‘Kiss her! Kiss her!’ The relationship didn’t last – 11-year-olds move on pretty quickly.”
From ER to Rom-Com Royalty
Besides stealing hearts as Doug Ross on ER from 1994-1999, Clooney’s résumé is packed with romantic comedies:
- One Fine Day (1996) with Michelle Pfeiffer
- Intolerable Cruelty (2003) with Catherine Zeta-Jones
- Ticket to Paradise (2022) with Julia Roberts
Kissing Critique and 80-Take Scene
Not every on-screen smooch went smoothly. In a 2022 New York Times interview, Clooney remembered:
> “I remember early on in my career, I had to do a kissing scene with this girl, and the director goes, ‘Not like that.’ And I was like, ‘Dude, that’s my move! That’s what I do in real life!’“
He and Roberts needed 80 attempts to nail their lone kiss in Ticket to Paradise.
> “Yeah. I told my wife, ‘It took 80 takes,'” Clooney said.
> “She was like, ‘What the hell?’“
Roberts chimed in:
> “It took 79 takes of us laughing and then the one take of us kissing.”
Clooney quipped:
> “Well, we had to get it right.”
Key Takeaways
- Clooney’s real-life first kiss happened at 11 behind a Kentucky church
- A director once trashed his authentic kissing style
- Julia Roberts required 80 takes for one kiss with Clooney
- Jay Kelly, Clooney’s latest film, is now streaming on Netflix
From playground pecks to Hollywood outtakes, Clooney proves even leading men stumble before they smooch.
