Biography & Early Wealth Journey
"…and because they didn't want to pay us, they gave us percentages of ["Gravity"], 'cause they thought it was gonna be a flop, and that ended up being a very good deal…And I thought, what I do have are these guys who've all, over a period of 35 years, helped me in one way or another. I've slept on their couches when I was broke. They loaned me money when I was broke. They helped me when I needed help over the years. And I've helped them over the years. We're all good friends. And I thought, you know, without them I don't have any of this. And we're all really close, and I just thought basically if I get hit by a bus, they're all in the will. So why the fuck am I waiting to get hit by a bus?"
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Arguably the most interesting part of the story is the practical process of securing $14 million in cash. Contrary to what the general public might assume, it apparently isn't just a question of strolling into your local bank branch and taking it out in briefcases. Instead, Clooney says, it's a more singular process that seems to have a little in common with something out of his "Ocean's" movies. Clooney says he researched the issue and discovered a place somewhere in downtown Los Angeles with "giant pallets of cash," so he drove there in a nondescript van with "Florist" written on the side to pick up the money, telling no one but the assistant and a couple freelance security guards he brought along to help: "And we brought it up, and I bought 14 Tumi bags, and then I packed in a million bucks, cash, which isn't as much as you think it is, weight-wise, into these Tumi bags."