Clooney Stars In New Coen Bros. Film
George Clooney has been receiving plenty of praise for his new film Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? including a Golden Globe nomination for best actor. Recently he recently explained to CBS News Early Show Co-Anchor Jane Clayson why he signed on to it without reading the script.
"I was in Phoenix, Arizona. I was working on Three Kings and they flew out to the set and set a script down on the table. They said, 'We're going to make this movie and wanted to know if you wanted to do it.' And I went, 'Yep, I'll do it,'" Clooney recalled. "And they said, 'You want to read it?' And I said, 'Okay, but I'll do it.' Then, we all sat there laughing. And then, we set out to try and find the financing to get the film made."
What is it about the Coen brothers that's so appealing, that Clooney would be willing to jump on board without reading the script?
"I don't know a film that they've done that I don't love," Clooney explains. "I just think they don't miss. And they really have a unique view. And I don't know any actor on any list, anywhere, that wouldn't work with them. I don't know anyone that would say no to them."
The story is an update of Ulysses' journey, set in Mississippi during the Depression. It's not a very commercial premise, but Clooney says that didn't worry him. He was worried about whether he could do it or not.
Clooney plays Ulysses, described by the Coen brothers as "controlling, conniving, vain." They told Clooney, "You're perfect to play the part." That worried him too.
"I said to them, 'Why did you guys think of me?' and they said, 'Well, he's dumb. And it's a lot about his hair.'"
It's not only about his hair, it's also about his voice -- Ulysses is a singer. And the nephew of legendary Swing Era Era Rosemary Clooney originally thought he was up to the task.
"I sang in it. I went into the recording studio, and we sang. And then at the end of two or three times of me singing it, none of the guys would look me in the eyes. And I was like, 'What?' And they brought in a guy, and he redid it."
Doing the accent was a bit easier.
"I'm from Kentucky, born and raised in a little town in Kentucky. So -- but it's been a while...I moved out when I was 21. So it's been a while since I've heard any of that. So I sent the script to my Uncle Jack who lives in Perryville.
"I said, 'read all my lines into the tape-recorder' and he did and sent it back to me. So the whole movie all I'm doing is an impersonation of my Uncle Jack. He just talks into his teeth like that."
Clooney has opted for character driven films, such as Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? since his disappointing turn as Batman in 1997. He has found roles in Out Of Sight and Three Kings much more rewarding.
"I'm in a much better place to pick [scripts]. And if I'm in a better place to pick, then I should pick films that I'd go seeAnd if I'm wrong, then I live and die by those mistakes because they were my own choices. And that's okay."
He hasn't made a mistake yet.
"I'm proud of them. I'm really proud of me. I know. It's fun."
"By virtue of the fact that until this summer I really hadn't had anything be a hit, I wasn't really pigeon-holed into anything. You know, in a way, sort of the lack of box office success put me in a position where I'm allowed to try a bunch of different things. And then The Perfect Storm hit and that was good for me."
When he was growing up in Kentucky, he never thought he'd have this kind of success.
"It's all sort of, you know, a crap shoot along the way. And it's all a lot of luck. And it's, you know, it's a lot of things. And it's also, you know, being in the right place at the right time. A lot of things are involved in being successful. And you enjoy it."
Why should people go see Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
"Woever goes to see the film, Disney will give a free cow to," quips Clooney. "You call Disney in Burbank, California, and you just show them your ticket that says Oh Brother. And if you see it twice, you get three cows, and a small hen."
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