ITALY: George Clooney arrives in Venice for the world premiere of 'Michael Clayton'

In his latest film Clooney plays a burnt-out corporate fixer, "at the end of his rope". George Clooney arrived to a stormy Venice Lido on Friday (August 31) for the world premiere of his latest film 'Michael Clayton'. "I have been here five or six times it's always been a great experience, it's a classy film festival," Clooney said after posing for dozens of photographers with the movie's director Tony Gilroy and co-star Tilda Swinton. "Seems like they like it a lot, I am happy I am really pleased, it's a film that was really hard to get made as you know these kind of films aren't easy to get made so, we're all really pleased with this, so, we'll see how it plays tonight, you never know, " he added. 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", at the Venice film festival. 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 a 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". "He is a man at the end of his rope, basically, he has used up all his options and everything is closing in on him. That's who he is and those are always to me very interesting characters you don't have to work very hard you know, and it's well written, well directed, got good actors around, if we had that it would have been fine," Clooney joked after the film was screened to the press. Early critical reaction to the film and his performance has been good. Gilroy said he wanted to explore not only corporate culture and corruption, but more importantly the individuals inside companies and why they do what they do. "I mean this are all people that are victims, they are all being turned on this machine, they are all making these… all these big corporations that you are talking about they are all inhabited by people, you know it's all decisions, people in rooms, and people decide. There is not some other, there is not some other, you know, occult super-power that's deciding everything," he said. 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. "It's about chain of command, and it's maybe the way I see it, I am a soldier's daughter. And I've all my life wondered how it takes people to do inhuman things. Always. It's the subject of my whole quest. And here's another script that does it but does it really precisely, " Swinton said at the news conference. Clayton gets sucked into a dangerous cover-up when a colleague and friend threatens to expose the crime. Clooney was visibly irritated when asked if his endorsement of products for big companies clashed in any way with his performance in a film about corporate greed and corruption. "I'm not going to apologise to you for trying to make a living once in a while," he said. "I don't really have an answer for you on that. It's sort of an irritating question," he said. After switching off his microphone, he continued to mutter angrily, though inaudibly to the audience. Asked about actor Christian Bale, who is playing in the latest Batman film, Clooney said: "Listen. When I did it, you know, they didn't tell me that Batman was straight. I didn't know. I could have been straight. I didn't know. It's terrific. I think it's really really, you know, he brought the franchise back. I buried it and so he brought the franchise back. I'm thrilled. I am glad you brought that film up".

ITN Source | September 6, 2007

Tags:. .iron. .tackling. .tackles. .expose. .clashed