George Clooney has opened up about the best advice he's been given in his 57 intensely cool years, as well the film that impacted him the most.

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Clooney said the wisdom came from "my uncle George," opening up the possibility that our George Clooney is merely the latest in an unbroken line of George Clooneys in his family.

"He told me not to wake up at 65 and say, 'You know what I wish I had done in my life?' He died a couple of years later with a lifetime of regrets, [and] the greatest of them was not chasing his dreams."

To be fair, George Clooney XXVII has managed to stick to that credo so far, especially after the utterly honking Batman & Robin. He credited that dud with being the film which had the most impact on - if you'll excuse the luvvie-speak - "his craft".

"That’s not a joke," he said. "Up until that moment, I was an actor only concerned with finding work. After the failure of that film creatively, I understood that I needed to take control of the films I made, not just the role."

Clooney also teased a return to the stage soon.

"I did a lot of theatre when I was young," he said. "I did a play at Steppenwolf Theater called Vicious. It’s been probably 20 years since I was onstage. I loved it. Who knows? If something made sense I’d be interested."