Don Cheadle Recalls How George Clooney Once Dared Him to Visit a 'Spooky' House in Italy

Don Cheadle and George Clooney attend the premiere of Hulu's "Catch-22" on May 07, 2019 in Hollywood, California.
Don Cheadle and George Clooney attend the premiere of Hulu's "Catch-22" on May 07, 2019 in Hollywood, California.
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Don Cheadle isn't one to turn down a dare from George Clooney.

In the new issue of PEOPLE, Cheadle, 58, who stars in the upcoming Netflix movie White Noise, recalls how Clooney issued an eerie challenge nearly two decades ago. While filming the 2004 heist movie Ocean's Twelve, a sequel to the 2001 hit Ocean's Eleven, the cast visited Clooney's famed villa in Lake Como, Italy.

Nearby, recalls Cheadle, was an "abandoned, old, weird, spooky house," he says. "We were just all sitting around, and he dared whoever to just go over there at two o'clock in the morning or something and walk around and hang out."

"Only four of us took him up on it," says Cheadle, who bravely went into the night with costar Brad Pitt and two others — but they didn't sleep over. "There was no spending the night," he says. "No way."

Noted prankster Clooney previously told GQ about the incident. Though in his telling, he joined Cheadle, Pitt and Matt Damon.

RELATED:  George and Amal Clooney 'Thrilled to Be Back' on Lake Como with Twins Ella and Alexander, 4: Source

"The first thing we saw was, like, a statue of [a] snake eating a woman's head or something," he said. "We came down to the conclusion that we'd give $10,000 to any guy that could spend the night in the haunted house with just a candle, six matches, and a bottle of wine."

Clooney said that Cheadle and Pitt did indeed take the bet but didn't stay the night. "There was a lot of idiocy that went on along the way, but we had a wonderful time," he said.

OCEAN'S TWELVE, George Clooney, Don Cheadle, 2004
OCEAN'S TWELVE, George Clooney, Don Cheadle, 2004

Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

In his PEOPLE interview, Cheadle, who shares children Tai, 28, and Imani, 26, with his wife, Bridgid Coulter Cheadle, 54, also revealed that while he's been fortunate to have a career that has taken him all over the world, he's more of a homebody.

"I've been to a lot of places," says Cheadle, who has recently traveled to Scotland, Venice and Hawaii (where he owns a second home). "I love meeting people from different places, and exploring different environments — once I'm there."

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"But it's the rigmarole of packing, and planning, and the hotel, and all that stuff, I'm like, 'Ugh.' I like to be in L.A. — it's where my family is and my friends are. I like to sit at home and just chill."

White Noise streams on Netflix Dec. 30.

For more on Cheadle, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE Magazine.