George Clooney is about to start making all of the film festival rounds to support his latest directorial effort, Suburbicon, a film which I think looks kind of bad. It’s George’s first project in a while, and it will be interesting to see how he handles the press as a new father. Thankfully, he’s giving us a preview of coming attractions. George sat down with the Associated Press so that everyone can catch up on what he’s been doing. Some highlights:
How he’s preparing for the film festival circuit: “I just have to clean the barf off of my tux. It used to be my barf but now it’s the twins’ barf. So it all works out.”
What Suburbicon is really about: Clooney believes the film, which peers into the dark racial tensions of 1950s suburbia, is deeply relevant to Donald Trump’s America. It bristles, he hopes, with the spirit of Howard Beale, the truth-telling Network newsman who yelled, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” “I last week screened it for my good friend Norman Lear. When it was over, he looked over and said, ‘This is the angriest film I’ve ever seen.’ It’s a pretty angry film. There’s a lot of anger out there. I think that’s reflected in the film. The main idea of the film was to pick some fights and I always like picking fights.”
The story is based on a never-produced script written by Joel & Ethan Coen. The Coens wrote a screenplay about 1950s Levittown, Pennsylvania, and specifically the enclave’s response in 1957 to a black family moving in. It’s a tale, they believe, that mirrors today’s political landscape. “I found it interesting to talk about building walls and scapegoating minorities,” said Clooney. “I think that’s always an interesting topic but particularly when I was hearing these conversations on the campaign trail. I thought: It’s always good to look back and remember that nothing really is new and every time we’re shocked, we forget that we’ve had this behavior time and time and time again.”
On Donald Trump: “It becomes increasingly clear how in over his head and incapable this man is of being president of the United States. The good news is that our other institutions — meaning press, finally, and judges and senators — have proven that the country works. There is a check and balance.”
Fatherhood: “Suddenly, you’re responsible for other people, which is terrifying,” he chuckled before heaping credit on his wife. “She’s like an Olympic athlete. She’s doing so beautifully. Right now my job is changing diapers and walking them around a little bit. I really didn’t think at 56 that I would be the parent of twins. Don’t make plans. You always have to just enjoy the ride.”
Work as an actor: “I’m in an interesting place in my life. I’m acting almost never — for a lot of reasons, mostly because I don’t have any great interest in it and haven’t read anything (good enough). If somebody showed up with The Verdict, I’d jump but it’s not all that often you get Michael Clayton kind of scripts. And if you’re not going to get those, there’s no real point at this point in my career. They still let me do what I want to do. As long as that’s the case, then I’m going to keep doing it. For me, you’ve got to keep pushing the envelope until they take everything away — which they eventually do with everybody.”
“It becomes increasingly clear how in over his head and incapable this man is of being president of the United States.” It was clear during the election! It was clear in his first hours in office! I don’t even have enough faith in checks and balances at this point. Like, the answer to our prayers is not going to be douchef–ker Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House. The answer to our prayers MIGHT be Robert Mueller, who was never elected to anything. So much for separation of powers?
As for the rest of it… I’m very wary of Clooney pushing this idea that Suburbicon is some kind of hyper-political story. I’ve seen the trailer. It looks like a straight-up Coen Bros rip-off (which is what it is, basically). It’s not the political film of the year. This reminds me of when George tried to sell The Monuments Men by pushing the narrative that no one had ever heard this story, while there had been several well-regarded documentaries about the subject. George’s raison d’être is to make his films sound super-political and like it took everything he had to make them. That’s never the case.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I have come to terms with the fact that we don’t currently have a President. I hope we will again one day but right now we are on our own.
This. Thank the universe for term limits in the good ol’ US of A.
Same. The country is running itself.
If anyone asked me who the president is, I would stare at them blankly. I have completely disconnected from that reality.
There is something about George that I find irritating. Maybe he thinks he is the smartest person in Hollywood and we should all bow down to what he has to say. Did he even finish school? graduate? suddenly, he has an audience with Obama and sees himself on some kind of level playing field.
George has been very financially successful and I liked the Michael Clayton film. I really dont know how to explain it. He’s bright sure, witty etc. But he lost me on that Je Suis Charlie thing accepting the award, remember? It was kind of cringey. The whole thing with Amal. Again, I like her but can someone explain to me why she was in the lineup in Cannes in that yellow dress as the only spouse in the lineup? You feel me?
George is an actor not a research scientist or an academic. AN ACTOR. I will duck for cover now.
Oh i get u. Its not like he does bad things he is just acting like he is not just an actor. He is above everyone. Meanwhile, never heard him say anything meaningful.
He is never humble or modest or someone you can relate to. That makes him unlakable.
I’m not a huge fan but he doesn’t bug me that much. As far as actors and their purported intelligence (or lack thereof), he seems pretty genuine. I don’t know if he sees himself on a level playing field with Obama but I do think he is pretty knowledgable about the causes he gets involved with. I’d take him over Trump right about now. But I think I’d also take my cat over Trump.
But I can’t fault you for your irrational dislike — we all have those!
I am with you on this one, Esmom. True, he is just an actor, but so is Susan Sarandon. At least he is using his platform for good.
He’s an activist and has been for a long time. I don’t think he thinks he’s smarter than everyone else, but he might pay more attention with a cynical eye and not be afraid to speak up than most in Hollywood. Probably because he doesn’t need Hollywood to pay his bills anymore and hasn’t for some time.
I doubt he’s the first or last to have have his spouse in a lineup at Cannes. It could very simply be that as someone who hasn’t evolved in that world, he didn’t want to abandon her on the sidelines, leaving her to fend for herself. Or maybe he’s actively trying to raise her profile because he’s being supportive of her career. From a human point of view, that’s actually the kind of husband we should all have.
He’s been pretty hands-on with his humanitarian efforts in the Sudan for years. He organized that telethon for Haiti at pretty much the drop of a hat. You don’t actually hear him going on about that much, but he’s clearly someone who walks the walk.
He absolutely walks the walk as far as his activism. I also admire the way he talks about his parents. the respect and love he shows for them. It’s why I believe he will be a good parent.
I’ve been meh about him since the ER days (I do remember his bad acting and his mullet from Facts of Life too. YouTube that). It’s not so much his legal perspective. He comes across as a know it all and show off.
For instance when he was in ER, he publicly boycotted Entertainment Tonight or some show because of the paparazzi harrassment. He even gave a speech that was on tv. Don’t ask me what he said. I just see “blah blah blah.” He was rather smug.
Don’t care for his acting. A reporter once pointed out that he likes to tilt his head and talk a lot. I think this was during his Batman stint. Ever since then, I can’t unsee that. Although I do think he has stopped the tilting.
I don’t know how we are all going to cope with DT being president for the next 3.5 years and much less if he gets elected for another four years which is quite possible despite of the horrible job he is doing running the country. He is so full of himself and his supporters love him for it.
Donald J. Dump is the very definition of the ugly, loud, brazen, obnoxious and narcissistic American that everyone thinks about overseas. And you are right, a third of the population not only accepts it, but loves him for it. I am so embarrassed. 🙁
Douchef**ker Paul Ryan! Perfectly stated, Kaiser! That’s how I will begin all my phone calls and emails to him now
Douchef**ker Paul Ryan who barely has town hall meetings, either. Can I ask you if you know he’s getting your messages? I called my representative Adam Kinzinger and only spoke to an underling who dodged my question (it was about the healthcare repeal).
He’s done several political films: Good Night and Good Luck, The Ides of March and Syriana.
I think it’s very hard to be involved in any sort of humanitarian efforts at anything more than a skin-deep level and not understand how politics play a pivotal role in all of that. From there, if it hadn’t occured to you before how it also shapes your own country, it doesn’t take long to happen. The scales fall from the eyes.
I forgot about that Michael Clayton film… I saw it three times… that was good and also the one with Anna Kendrick (Up in the air?)…
When he is in a good film , he is fun to watch but now I feel mostly I hear about him from pap shots and celeb sites and with someone like him, I feel that detracts.
People talking about their children… just not usually that interesting. I, too, am surprised he has twins.
“It becomes increasingly clear how in over his head and incapable this man is of being president of the United States.” – Thanks for stating the blatantly obvious. If only people realized this the previous 70 yrs….
I like his stance on his work as an actor. you would think it is easy to be self-aware about the quality of your work when you’re a multi-millionaire but looking at other people’s careers (madonna, cough, robert de niro, cough), you can see that isn’t true . Also – The Verdict is an incredible movie and everyone should watch it. it is a master class in actin and the story is particularly timley with the ongoing debates about healthcare and the insurance industry.
Yes, I remember The Verdict, great movie and the pacing kept my attention all the way to the end.
I remember him laughing and nodding like no no no Donald Trump is not going to be the president. So condescendingly like he has inside information or something. No you don’t know shit Clooney, and it’s this kind of elitist snobbery that you didn’t take Trump serious that we now find ourselves with him as Potus, and Kid Rock will probably win Senate, then Ted Nugent will no doubt get in there, and by the end of his presidency the whole Charlie Danials band will be in congress. Ugh.
Pretty sure he didn’t vote for Trump. And I honestly don’t think many people actually expected Trump to win. The man is a buffoon. The only people who didn’t see that are the ones who voted for the guy. And that right there speaks volumes about how a large portion of America sees the political class as being not on the side of the little people. I tend to think that Trump was not so much voted in because he’s Trump, but because he’s “not a politician”. It’s a bit like Brexit. Focus is on one or two issues without taking in all of the ramifications that came with it.
Clearly Clooney overestimated his own countrymen. Maybe we should reserve our outrage for the actors who actually went out and stumped for the guy.
I think for most of the period of the election intelligent people didn’t take Trump seriously. I certainly didn’t. He was a clown. I only got worried at the end. Watching the debates, I couldn’t believe anyone would think Trump would win.
You’re blaming him if Kid Rock gets into office? Spare me. Well, call me an elitist snob also then. I roll my eyes at the idiots that would vote him in. I don’t need to understand the people that would.
I dont even think Trump thought he’d win. He looked stricken when he found out he did.
Sometimes you find out something about someone and that colors your opinion of them. Years ago, when Clooney was the hottest thing going, I read one of his interviews. The reporter asked why he didn’t leave ER for movies earlier. George responded that he had a contract and if he’d broken it he would never be able to look his father in the eye again so he stayed for its duration. I’ve had a soft spot for him ever since.
Unless something terrible comes out of his past, he seems to be one of the few actors left who speaks his mind with eloquence, is on the side for everyone, believes in equality for all and speaks up about it. He’s not into a terrible religion, pushing the trump agenda or even worse, using his “morals” to justify throwing millions and millions under the bus. Susan, I am looking at you.
so, whatever. Hope he’s happy, I’ll watch his movie and laugh at his kinda dumb twins comments.
Well it’s not a Coen brothers ripoff, it was written by the Coen brothers?
Not only is that true, but he’s so incompetent and reckless that he is now a full blown liability to our country.
Very honest last paragraph ,George and Amal are as fake as good POTUS Trump Is . Very media made with loud false propaganda .
This is the same smug a$$hole who admonished people for not wanting to take in more refugees but hasn’t opened up any of his homes to them?
There’s something about George I find very very false. its weird, cause I use to like him back in his ER days, but now he gives off the vibe of a sleazy politician.