From ER‘s Dr Love, to a gun- slinging low-life in Quentin Tarantino’s latest movie From Dusk Till Dawn. George Clooney knows how to set pulses racing. Eddie Gibb keeps his cool.
aybe it's a hair thing. During the ten years he spent playing bit- parts in unremarkable television serials and ‘Return of‘ B-movics. George (‘looney sported a number of elaborate varying lengths and style. Now. shorn of his locks. he has become Hollywood‘s most steeply ascendant star after achieving lift-off with his role as hard-living. womanising paediatrician Dr Ross in America‘s hit hospital drama liR.
For the second series he adopted a fashionably forward—facing crop — the ‘little Nero look‘ as Clooney‘s new buddy Quentin 'l‘arantino calls it — and from that point started to
show potential as the ‘breakout star‘ from the TV show. and becatne a sex
symbol to boot. Remarkable what a visit to the barber can do for a man‘s self—esteem.
‘.lust call me a hair actor and proud of it.‘ he told an American magazine earlier this year. ‘I just like my hair better short; it‘s easier. But there's something else to it. I’m now at a point in my life. when it's cut this way. that when I look in the mirror I see an older guy than I used to be. I think. "I look beat tip. What happened to me?" And that's perfect for playing Doug Ross.‘
As things panned out. it was also perfect for playing 'l‘arantino‘s brother in this year's cult- by—design movie From Dusk Till Dawn about a couple of America's most-wanted who make a break for the Mexican border and run into a bar- room full of vampires in the process. The film also stars Hollywood hipsters Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers. ('u/u' l‘it’tll'l and Harvey
Keitel (just about everything worth seeing over
the last three years).
The movie‘s cult credentials are cemented by a 'l‘arantino screenplay. and direction froin Robert Rodrigue/ whose ‘no— budget‘ debut lfl .ilm‘lcu‘li/ demonstrated the
, awn of a new era
dos of
‘It was looking more and more likely that l was getting stuck doing mediocre television for the rest of my life - movies of the week, stuff like that - and then the world changed for me.’
further
filmmaker's ability to squeeze a lot of hangs from very few bucks. (‘looney has chosen safe hands for his big-screen opener in a lead role.
‘(ietting a chance to do this movie was an awful big one.‘ he says. ‘You know. my career didn‘t really end tip the way I thought it was going to. It was looking tnore and more likely that l was getting stuck doing mediocre television for the rest of my life — movies of the week. stuff like that — and then the world changed for me. That doesn‘t mean it won‘t change back and I‘ll have to do all those later. btit I‘ve given myself about a seven-year buy. and that‘s a nice place.‘
(‘looney is already commanding a reported $3 million per movie and recently Steven Spielberg pri/ed him otit of an existing commitment to appear in the first movie from the much-hyped entertainment company DreamWorks SKG.
which Spielberg formed with a bunch of
showbiz high-rollers. Earlier this year it was announced that. despite a reputation as an on-set joker. (.‘looney would displace Val Kilmer as the (‘aped (‘rusader in the latest Hui/nun movie which starts shooting in September.
The thing is. he‘s committed to another series of liR. l'nlike David (artist). who dttmped his role as an over-sexed cop in A’l’l’l) li/ue to pursue a movie career when his personal ratings shot tip. ('looney seems determined to
juggle ’l'\' and movies for a while longer.
Admittedly this is made easier by the fact that [SR is an ensemble show with the main characters alternating for the episode‘s lead in much the same way as ja/./. musicians take a solo. Nonetheless. ('looney was on the sets of lilx’ and l-‘mm Dusk Till Dawn simultaneously. which frequently meant 3am wraps followed by (yam calls on some days.
This might seem like a cake-and-eat-it strategy. btit it‘s probably a shrewd move given the way David ('aruso‘s popularity took a knock when he made his less-than-stellar switch to the movies. Although reviews for l-‘mm Dusk Till Dawn haven‘t all been overwhelmingly positive in the l'S. the movie was regarded as far more credible than (‘aruso's outing in lame erotic thriller .lmle.
('looney may be yet another in a growing
GEORGE CLOQNEY FEATURE
list of actors whose careers have been done no harm at all by an association with Quentin 'l‘arantino — who previously directed an episode of [5/6. In fact. (‘looncy's break might have come earlier when he read for a part in 'l’arantino‘s debut ly’i'st'i'i‘oir [logs which set the whole alternative thriller bandwagon rolling in the first place.
‘Quentin had seen some awful movie I‘d done and liked me.‘ he says. ‘I was going through a break tip so I did a really horrible. horrible audition and I remember walking otit saying: “I blew thatl". We were sitting on the set of this movie Il-imu Dusk Till [ltlll'lll and he said: “You blew that audition for Dogs?" Yeah. lltttttks.‘
'l‘ltiltgs change. and (‘ltttiltcy has now joined that cyclusivc club of Hollywood actors who are chased by parts. rather than the other way round. But he knows there isn't ;» tile membership and boy. (icorge is grabbing 'em while he’s hot. l'i’H/H Dusk Till Nair/i gun's (Ill th'lH’l't‘ll l'(’/(’(l.\(' ()II .i'l .lltiv.
The List l7-30 May l‘)‘)() 11