George Clooney says he's an optimist, even in the face of world-ending disaster

George Clooney isn’t just the on-screen face of The Midnight Sky. He’s also the director. In that capacity, Clooney had to figure out how to balance the film’s stark realities—some sort of catastrophe has unleashed untold radiation and has killed the vast majority of the world’s population—with the knowledge that a film that’s purely about awful tragedy isn’t really something most of us want to watch. It’s a fine line to walk, but one that Clooney seems uniquely qualified to toe, given his stance as both an outspoken advocate for global change and a genuinely affable dude.

The A.V. Club talked to Clooney about his overall optimism for the video above, with Clooney even telling us how he’s been finding small moments of joy during the pandemic. He also drops an extremely charming anecdote about the not-so-secret language his twin toddlers speak when they want to keep their mom and dad out of the loop.

The Midnight Sky is in theaters now, and will hit Netflix on December 23.