ITALY: Clooney-mania sweeps over Venice Lido at premiere of "Michael Clayton"

George Clooney creates a frenzy as he premieres his latest film 'Michael Clayton' at the Venice Film Festival. Actor George Clooney on Friday (August 31) made a lengthy entrance to the premiere of his film 'Michael Clayton' as he met hundreds of fans at the Venice film festival. Wearing a tuxedo and surrounded by security guards, Clooney walked past the fans, spoke with them and signed autographs. He then stopped to pose to photographers waiting outside the main festival venue. His co-star Tilda Swinton, and the film's director Tony Gilroy also arrived at the premiere, as well as director spike Lee and actors Bill Murray and Eli Roth. In 'Michael Clayton', Clooney plays a burned out "fixer" for a New York law firm in a movie which tackles the issues of corporate corruption, personal greed and the moral dilemmas people face at the workplace every day. Gilroy makes his directorial debut with "Michael Clayton", in competition at the Venice film festival where it has its world premiere on Friday. Clooney, who lives in Italy and is a favourite on the Lido waterfront, said he was not paid for acting the title role, which underlines the actor's habit of mixing Hollywood blockbusters like the "Ocean's" series with smaller-budget films tackling topical issues. Clayton is called at all hours to iron out clients' and employees' legal complications, and also has to deal with a gambling habit and complicated family life that leave him depressed and morally adrift. In playing a character with big black bags under his eyes and a hang-dog look, Clooney leaves the glamour at the studio door for "Clayton". Perhaps the most morally bankrupt of all the characters in the film is in-house counsel Karen Crowder, played by British actress Tilda Swinton. Determined to settle a lawsuit that is worth millions of dollars to her employer, she stops at nothing to push the deal through. Clayton gets sucked into a dangerous cover-up when a colleague and friend threatens to expose the crime.

ITN Source | September 6, 2007

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