Sex and Cash Week, Part II: The Grinder
This week, we’re looking at different applications of the Sex & Cash Theory. Click here to read part 1 of the series, The Late Bloomer.
When people look at George Clooney, they see success. He’s known for his good looks, the polite calm demeanor, the blockbuster movies, the beautiful women, and the admiration of all for what a talented and good man he is. Few people see him for his fears — his fear of not being successful, not being liked, and going through life alone and unknown. He took a meandering path to get there, but once Clooney decided to be an actor he was willing to do whatever it took to break through.
Clooney’s love and disappointment for his uncle and namesake, George Guilfoyle, seemed to be a driving force in his life. Guilfoyle was imminently likable and began life with a ton of potential — always the guy with a good joke or captivating story, he was a stud bomber pilot on the Eastern Front in WWII, he dated beautiful women, he managed the singing career of Clooney’s aunt and her sister. But that was before young George was born. By the time Clooney knew his Uncle, George Guilfoyle was still still affable and adored, but was a drunk who slept in a horse barn and never lived up to his potential. George loved him but knew he was essentially loser, and it made a big impression on him.
Clooney knew he wanted to be successful and had a deep desire to be self-made. Both of his parents were in show business, but he wasn’t sure which route he wanted to go, so he dabbled in many fields. He sold women’s shoes, he sold insurance door-to-door, he worked on a farm, he worked construction, he ever tried out for the Cincinnati Reds, but upon seeing the superior skill of the other players up close, he knew this wasn’t going to be his big break.
“I had no idea what I was going to do. I bounced from job to job, never mastering any of them, because I secretly thought I’d never be great at it. I went to Northern Kentucky University. I went all these routes, trying to figure out what I could be. I couldn’t live with the idea of just being Nick Clooney and Rosemary Clooney’s relative all my life. I needed success or failure on my own. I had to make a name for myself.”
Eventually, his cousin came to town in Kentucky to make a low-budget movie. He cast George in a very small part and though the movie never even got officially released, Clooney felt acting was his chance. He grew up around it, it was in his blood, and this is what he would bet it all on.
Clooney made $700 cutting tobacco on a Kentucky farm and used the money to move to Los Angeles and found some strangers to live with, fashioning a bedroom out of a mattress in a walk-in closet. He kept taking whatever roles he could and working whatever jobs he had to to scrape by until eventually, he understood what directors were looking for in the auditioning process and he caught some breaks. He had a recurring role on Roseanne and got a part in the new series E.R., which became one of the most successful TV shows of the 90’s. By then, Clooney had cemented himself in the entertainment industry and blossomed into one of the biggest celebrities on the planet.
Obviously a lot happened between Clooney’s first roles and the mega-success later in his career, but that discussion is for another time. Today, we’re focused on how he got on the right track…
What’s important to take away here is Clooney’s use of The Grinder strategy. He may have had success in other fields, but he was pulled in by the allure of the stage (“the Sex”) and felt it was the only place he felt he could be special and escape insignificance. This was his Holy Grail, the one opportunity to realize his potential. All of those other jobs were about one thing — Survival (“Cash”). Clooney fought his way through a lot of dead ends and drudgery until his dream to be an actor was fully revealed to him. From there, he found ways to sustain himself until that dream could become a reality and a career.
The Grinder strategy is certainly not the most glamorous way to realize your dream, but there’s something to be said for hanging in there until the breaks come your way.
