Thursday, April 10, 2008

By GEORGE HADLEY-GARCIA

Special to The Japan Times

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Clooney also likes, for variety's sake and probably with an eye to extending his career longevity, to try his hand at different genres. He admits, "I never wanted people to say there's a George Clooney kind of picture. That would be pretty limiting. Plus, to me, it would mean I wasn't really capable of doing more than one type of picture, that I wasn't an actor of much depth. . . . I like to think I've grown and can do drama, comedy, all sorts of pictures and characters, with surprises ahead for myself and for the audience."

Clooney and current flame Sarah Larson AP PHOTO

In 2006, the actor won an Academy Award for his supporting role in "Syriana," and was also nominated in the directorial category for a film in which he also starred, "Good Night, and Good Luck," based on the historical characters of broadcaster Edward R. Murrow and political witch-hunter Joseph McCarthy, the Republican senator from Wisconsin in the 1950s.

Now, Clooney stars as the title character in "Michael Clayton," another heavy drama, and one that earned an Academy Award for British supporting actress Tilda Swinton in February.

The actor praises his costar: "If you've seen Tilda in a myriad other movies before this, you know how richly she deserves every award under the sun. She is a chameleon. She can enact anything, and not just from one nationality to another. She can vamp, she can play virtually a male, be androgynous or feminine, she can be heartbreakingly vulnerable, she can play evil — I mean, she does it all. I am in awe of her."

Michael Clayton is a fixer at a law firm, to which he is loyal despite feeling burned-out, having by now engaged in several less-than-noble coverups and public relations exercises to benefit far-from-noble people and corporations. Swinton's character, Karen, works at an agro-chemical company and has desperate need of Clayton's professional services. Clayton, from a family of cops, is questioning his identity and what he does for a living. The film's theme is that professional success, if it involves shady doings, doesn't necessarily translate to lasting happiness.

AP PHOTO

What drew Clooney to Clayton the character and the movie?

"Tony Gilroy (who also directed) had done a wonderful script, and I thought the story and setting were very contemporary, very relevant. So much of what is wrong and worsening about our society has to do with corporations, and yet we sometimes forget that corporations are made up of people, many of whom are not what I'd define as individuals if their entire reason for being is following the company line, right or wrong. That's similar to the nationalistic position of my country, right or wrong. And look where that led Germany, to name one country. . . . And Michael is coming to realize that it isn't worth it, that what he does is not what he should be doing.

"I like it when a character has been doing — and we mostly all do some of this — what he has to do to get ahead in a very competitive modern business world. But then there comes a time . . . when he takes stock — of himself, his life, . . . and whether he can live with himself and his choices once he's older and looks back. I like turning-point themes, if they're well done. This film is very well done."

It's also interesting that Clooney's latest film, "Leatherheads" (which just opened in the United States), is a complete contrast in genre and tone — and unlike "Michael Clayton," it's directed by George Clooney. The football-themed picture, set in the 1920s, is advertised with the tag line, "If love is a game, who'll make the first pass?" It costars Renee Zellweger and is a "comedy drama romance."

Last Friday, the film made Clooney the center of Hollywood controversy, when showbiz publication Variety revealed that he had given up his voting rights with the Writers Guild of America after his involvement in the film's screenplay was called into question. Clooney maintains that he heavily rewrote the film, which had languished in production for 17 years.

When asked why he chose to work on "Leatherheads," Clooney pauses, before replying, "Several things, really. Renee is a joy, as a person and a costar."

This brings us to the fact that of the many females with whom Clooney has been romantically linked, none of the longer relationships — not that any of them have been very long, including his distant, not-to-be-discussed marriage — have been with famous women.

"Do you know what a media circus it becomes when it's two celebrities involved, rather than one?" he exclaims before pausing again to let it sink in, possibly thinking of what life is like for a pairing such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. (Indeed, just last week, Clooney revealed that a comment he'd made to paparazzi a week earlier about being the godfather of Pitt and Jolie's child was just a joke.)

Of course, Clooney is no stranger to Cupid's follies in his films. "I like romance. I like it a lot, in real life and on the screen. And also, I think when it's a period picture, the romance is more believable. I think a movie set today, it's not quite as romantic. I think another era, like the '20s, say, is more credible for romance. Unless you have a very . . . particular contemporary script. But in any case, I liked the era of early football. It was so — to us — kind of naive, and the uniforms and the helmets were kind of goofy. I like working in that time frame. Also, I think Renee really fits that time. We're both pretty fond of retro styles and golden-age movies and period stuff."

Which type of film does Clooney prefer? Is it even fair to ask?

"Well, I like both, and I don't spend a whole lot of time comparing," he says. "But when you're doing a 'Michael Clayton' or 'Syriana,' you have to make sure that you're delivering an entertaining product while you're also making your points credibly, and keeping the integrity of the characters and the situation, without way overdoing it — getting too heavy-handed about it."

Although George is articulate and analytical about his work and the movie business, he's known to be closed-mouthed about his private life. He shares one of the reasons he chose to have a home in Italy (it's "beautiful and romantic, and I find the people quite friendly"); but he won't elaborate on his motorcycle accident last September, ("those things happen"). He's been happy enough to reveal — reportedly against his publicist's advice — that he was mugged at gunpoint by children on a goodwill trip to Sudan; but he keeps tight-lipped on whether he is more serious about current girlfriend Sarah Larson than previous ones (the marriage question usually pops up when Clooney makes the gossip columns). Now well into his 40s, does he want to start a family?

"What I admire is long-lasting and genuine relationships, like my parents'," he says. "In such a situation, two people should be married and do make wonderful parents."

Does he feel that marriage is more difficult in today's less romantic, more harsh world?

"You tell me," he answers without answering.

As for the topic of being an international sex symbol, forget it: "That is one really tired subject," he sighs.

Clooney is more forthcoming about his late and genuinely lamented pot-bellied pig Max, with whom he lived for many years. Asked whether he will be replacing Max, he responds, "It's not a matter of substitution. Max was unique, really a best friend to me. That was a relationship which lasted until the end, and I honestly believe pigs are very intelligent, special creatures. Max certainly was. I'll always remember him with a smile."

He adds that pigs are catching on as favored pets with several actors, including Hayden Christensen. "He has two pot-bellied pigs. If I remember right, their names are Buddy and Petunia.

"Some pigs like other pigs and need their company. I imagine Petunia and Buddy and Hayden are all quite compatible. But Max was a people person — I mean, a people pig. As far as he was concerned, it was him and me. He would share me with a friend if he had to, but — and this is absolutely true — he did get jealous. Max liked it best when he had me just to himself. Some cats and dogs are that way too, you know."

Might Clooney ever act in and/or direct a movie about a pot-bellied pig? He chuckles fondly. "That is a great idea. If," he emphasizes, "the script is good and it's not just for the sake of presenting a lame, stereotypical story about a pig. It would have to have integrity, or I wouldn't be. . . . I'd be interested, but I wouldn't feel right if it didn't tell the audience something new and special about the animal and at the same time entertain them."

Paper or plastic? For the foreseeable future, George Clooney won't even have to choose between actor or director.

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