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Meet the real George Clooney lookalike . . .

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By Deirdre Reynolds
Tuesday Feb 7 2012

Jeremy Kenny looks far more like the Hollywood heart-throb than the actual winner of the Kilkenny contest. He talks to Deirdre Reynolds

Dublin dad Jeremy Kenny hasn't been named the Sexiest Man Alive, won an Oscar or dated Stacy Keibler -- but he looks just like someone who has.

Last weekend, a George Clooney lookalike competition in Kilkenny descended into farce after the winner conceded he looked nothing like the star of The Descendants and only entered for "a bit of craic".

Now, though, 27-year-old David Glendon could be forced to hand over his crown -- because we've found George Clooney's real Irish double.

With the same brown eyes, salt'n'pepper hair and mischievous grin, marketing executive Jeremy (49), from Shankill, Co Dublin, is constantly being mistaken for Gorgeous George on the streets of the capital.

But he didn't even know about the contest that saw Glendon beat off nearly 800 other hopefuls to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Academy Awards later this month.

"I only heard about the competition yesterday when my niece sent me a message saying I should have entered," says Jeremy. "I definitely would have gone for it -- who wouldn't want to go to the Oscars?"

Although amateur actor David is unlikely to confuse photographers on the red carpet at the Kodak Theatre, being stopped by fans for a snap has become a part of everyday life for dad-of-three Jeremy.

"It all started about seven years ago when somehow I began to look a bit like George Clooney," recalls Jeremy. "At first, I could see people whispering about it in the pub, and thought I was being a bit paranoid.

"But gradually over the years the whispers have crescendoed into a dull roar -- now I'm regularly stopped in the streets and asked for my autograph or a photo. It's extraordinary."

In a recent Nespresso ad, Clooney pretends to be someone else when approached by a fan. But there's no convincing Irish fans, according to Jeremy, who's given up trying to explain to people that he is not the actor.

"Recently, I was coming out of a restaurant when a man stopped me and asked me for a photo for his daughter," tells Jeremy. "He was completely convinced that I was George Clooney -- and when I insisted otherwise he said, 'Don't worry, your secret's safe with me'."

"When I tell people I'm not him, it usually only makes them more convinced -- so most of the time it's just easier to agree to pose for a photo. Either that, or people say, 'Has anyone ever told you you look like George Clooney?' Now that I know what's going on, I don't mind it," he adds. "I suppose it's better than looking like Danny de Vito!"

Despite missing the opportunity to rub shoulders with the real deal at the Oscars, Jeremy admits that the uncanny similarity has its perks.

"I've picked up a bit of modelling work and have been flown around Ireland in a private jet on the back of it," he says. "The client is probably told they're getting George Clooney -- and then I turn up. But I've never used it to try and skip queues or get into premieres!"

With Clooney up for a gong for his role in The Descendants, a documentary is set to explore his family tree -- digging as far back as his great-great-grandfather Nicholas, who emigrated from Kilkenny to Kentucky in 1847, to unearth distant cousin Fiona Clooney (26), from Abbeyleix.

George Clooney's Irish Roots -- The real Descendants by Gabriel Murray -- who was also behind the lookalike contest -- even uproots a link between the movie star and the carpet laid in the ill-fated Titanic.

Meanwhile, Jeremy may get to come face to face with his Hollywood doppelganger when the star holidays here in April.

"I ran into Bono in Toronto and he's as much of a bike nut as I am," reveals Clooney of his plans to tour Ireland on a Harley Davidson. "He started telling me about lots of cool places I should check out so I've committed to going there in April."

"Considering the amount of autographs I've signed on his behalf, it'd be great to finally meet George," jokes Jeremy. "Although it can be tricky for me going to see one of his films, I loved The Ides of March -- he's a fantastic director and actor."

But there's one thing Jeremy's got that even the world's most eligible bachelor doesn't.

"I've been happily married to my wife Sharon for 18 years and we have three beautiful boys," says Jeremy. "That's where I think I'm much luckier than George Clooney."

- Deirdre Reynolds

Irish Independent