George Clooney shares Paul Newman's career advice

George Clooney once received some important career advice from Paul Newman.

The 64-year-old actor was a huge admirer of the movie star - who passed away in September 2008, aged 83 - and he's recalled receiving some good life advice from Newman at a studio back in 1998.

Speaking to Variety, George shared: "I pulled up and I go, ‘Hey, Mr. Newman'. And he clearly had no clue who I was. But he was friendly and we started talking.

"People would drive by going, ‘George!’ ‘Hey, George!’ ‘Hey, man!’ Bit by bit, he figured out that I was well known in some way. And as I started to leave, he goes, ‘Don’t let them keep you inside.’"

George admitted that it took him some time to really understand Newman's advice.

He said: "What he was talking about was fame, and the tendency to surround yourself with managers and PR people who build these walls of security so that you don’t get caught doing something stupid.

"But what happens is you can divorce yourself from what’s really going on out there. You need people in your life that tell you the truth."

George actually suffered a huge career setback in 1997, when he starred in Batman and Robin.

The film nearly killed the money-spinning franchise and George's career - but he actually learned some important lessons from the setback.

Recalling his experience of shooting the film, George said: "It was a very painful suit, and you couldn’t move.

"I would be laying on a board, and Joel Schumacher would direct you with a giant speaker, and he would go, ‘OK, George, and here we go. And ready? Your parents are dead. You have nothing to live for. And — action!’ And then they’d just prop me up and I go, ‘I’m Batman,’ and they go, ‘And cut.’ And they drop me back down, and then they carry me out on the board."

Meanwhile, George previously claimed that he's been the "recipient of a lot of luck" in his life.

The actor told AARP: "I think the only life lesson is to bet on yourself. And when there’s opportunities, you gotta go.

"In my life, I have been the recipient of a lot of luck. But I also believe you create opportunity for luck. You create enough opportunity and, every once in a while, you’ll hit one."

George also strives to live a "really full life", instead of worrying about potential issues.

The movie star said: "There’s no rhyme or reason for who gets to age and who doesn’t. So you should live as if you’re not going to get to. And then, if you wake up one day and you’re old, you’ve lived a really full life."