Mr Clooney has been a strong supporter of Mr Obama since 2006, when the
then-senator was thought to have little hope of stopping Hillary Clinton’s
return to the White House.
Within weeks of the President’s inauguration, Mr Clooney was invited to the
Oval Office where he urged the new administration to take a stronger stance
on Darfur, the war-ravaged region of southern Sudan.
In March, Mr Clooney was arrested protesting outside the Sudanese embassy.
While repeatedly voted “Sexiest Man Alive”, the Oscar-winner is also something
of a political anorak. Framed on the wall of his home are a pair of ties
worn by Mr Obama’s predecessor, John F Kennedy.
Such is Mr Obama’s enduring popularity among Hollywood’s elite that his aides
were forced to turn down a number of competing bids from stars eager to host
the dinner.
Among them was Reese Witherspoon, the star of Legally Blonde, who offered to
host at her seven-bedroom Brentwood estate, complete with its own Buddhist
temple.
However, not all of the A-list has remained onside. Matt Damon, a former
supporter and Mr Clooney’s co-star in Ocean’s 11, is now a strong critic of
the President.