It’s not that George Clooney doesn’t like being a movie star. Far from it. There seem to be few “movie stars” these days who seem to appreciate what it means to be famous and celebrated all over the world. Despite the constant presence of the “Stalkerazzi” (as he calls them), Clooney obviously enjoys the perks of stardom because he knows that he’s lucky to be in the position he’s in, having struggled as an actor for years before getting his big break on ER in 1994. Ask anyone who’s interviewed him and they’ll tell you he’s as charming and gracious in person as he appears on screen (provided you don’t pry into his personal life), and when it comes time to promote a new movie, Clooney always gives 100 percent to make sure that everyone knows that particular film is out. In a lot of ways, Clooney is a movie studio’s dream — an extremely popular actor who is adored by audiences and possesses one of the most famous and recognizable faces in the world (not to mention being People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” twice) who also understands how the game of making and promoting movies is played and plays it better than most. Talent loves him, audiences love him, and best of all, he’s willing to drop his price for the right role. If only he sold more tickets…
If you look at the box office numbers for Clooney’s films over the last few years, you’ll see that aside from the Ocean’s trilogy and Burn After Reading, most of Clooney’s films have grossed under $50 million. Up in the Air, his current release, is doing solid business ($45 million thus far) and looks to be one of his biggest hits to date, especially if the film is successful at this year’s Oscars. Now, don’t misunderstand me when I bring all these facts to light; I am by no means criticizing Clooney’s career or choice of roles. In fact, he is one of a small group of major stars working these days who are willing to follow their passion rather than chase a paycheck. When you look at most of Clooney’s films over the last decade, he’s been involved with a number of outstanding films, like O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Good Night, and Good Luck (which he also directed) and Michael Clayton, and even some of his outright flops have proven to be more interesting than other actors’ hits (The Good German and Solaris come to mind). Clooney obviously doesn’t care about what the trends or hot properties are; he shuns big action movies and silly romantic comedies for quirky comedies or dramatic features in which character is king. And yet, there are few actors out there whose participation can get a movie greenlit as fast as George Clooney can. So if he’s not interested in what’s mainstream, just what kind of movie star is he?
A movie star for grown-ups, that’s what kind.
You could hardly find a more difficult film to market right now than Up in the Air — the story of a man whose job is to help other companies downsize — and it’s quite possible that it wouldn’t have gotten made if Clooney hadn’t said yes. It’s certainly a film that speaks to today’s employment climate, and unlike other mainstream “adult” pictures, like It’s Complicated, Up in the Air treats its audience like adults and doesn’t patronize them. It also has next to no appeal to younger moviegoers, so Paramount took a risk that Clooney’s appeal, plus awards talk, would help it do well, and it’s luckily paying off. Clooney seemingly has little need to appeal to teenagers, especially since the most brazenly commercial film he’s ever done, 1997’s Batman & Robin, is also his most notorious flop. That film’s failure obviously stayed with him, for ever since then Clooney has focused less on commercial films and concentrated on distinct character roles with top directors like Steven Soderbergh, The Coen Brothers and Tony Gilroy. His choices now reflect his own adult sensibilities, and he makes films that he hopes the audiences will follow — as opposed to him trying to keep up with audiences — leaving the action comedies and franchise films to pals Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. The fact that not all of these films were the hits they should’ve been reflects less on Clooney than it does his target audience. Adults often complain about the lack of good, intelligent films made for them, but when a Michael Clayton or Out of Sight comes along, they don’t show up like they should. Regardless, George Clooney keeps making the films that interest him, and it’s going to be a sad day if he ever has to do another Batman & Robin to make up for them. He’s proven himself to be a rare thing in movies these days: a man of honor who keeps his commitment to his audience, making the best movies possible while not selling out his ideals. As a result, he has also become one of our most fascinating and dependable movie stars.
