Clockwise from far left: George Clooney with Catherine Zeta Jones in Intolerable Cruelty; Good Night, and Good Luck; Syriana; and scenes from thriller Michael Clayton

(Yin/nu. ('Innne) made a xtand againxt \\;II' in the (Bull in Swim/III and 'I‘IH'I'I’ [VI/tux. Sanduiehed lk‘l\\L‘L'lt lllL‘\L‘ \\;t\ (imu/ .VI‘J/ll. tUIt/ (Imu/ [Hr/x. ('lnnne} xa_\x that there hax heen a priee tn pa} lnr taking nn thexe ehallenging rnlex a\\a} l'rnm the nutput nl’ llttll}\\nntl xtudinx and that ix that he hax nnh heen paid l'nr t\\n nl‘ the laxt eight tnn\tex that he hax appeared in. prexumahl) ()t't‘tm'x lltt'lt’t' and III/I‘lt't’u. lle xa_\ x. "l'he t'ext nl~ the mnxiex _\nu dn t‘nr ax little ax pnxxihle heeauxe )ntt “ant tn get the Inn\ iex made. lt'x nnt like _\nu're g‘ttlltg' [0 get l'lL‘ll (Ill. Ul. ill/2e (final (it/mun. (inm/ Nile/1!. and (fund lair/t nr .\'\'r1'ana.' l‘hen in a return tn gnnl‘}. xmile} (ienrge he quipx: ‘ltut it‘x ()K. I dn all right. I'm Iine.‘ \Vhat he lailx tn mentinn ix that he didn‘t get paid heeauxe hix |e\el nt' pa} \xax determined h} ltn\\ \\ ell the lilmx did at the hn\ nt‘l‘iee. 'l‘he relati\e lilk'l’x Ul‘ \llk'k'L‘\\ Ul~ lltL‘ lllltl\ lt;t\ ;Il\U \L'L'll the demixe nl' Seetinn N. the enmpam ('lnnne} xet up \\ ith ~\‘tex en Snderhergh tn make intelligent. thnught—prnxnking lilmx. .llit'ltut'l (Yawn/1 \\ill be the laxt Seetinn X lilm tn l‘eature (‘lnnne_\. Relleeting nn the end nt' the enmpan}. he xa_\x: ‘lt heeame lexx ahnut lilmmaking and mnre ahnut the thin \\ e didn't \xant tn dn. like eutting trailerx. We knew it \\nuldn't he l‘nre\er.‘ (‘lnnne} ix lnnking better than he hax dnne l'nr _\earx. He turned up Mr hix ne\\ tilm nearl} a xtnne and a hall n\ er hix uxual \\ eight alter xut‘t‘ering l‘rnm an iniur} that rextrieted hix mnxement. Reeent pieturex M a .xlim line

('lnnne) nn a heaeh had tnngttex nagging that the xtar \\ ax ill. .‘\xked ahnut hix dramatie pluxieal ll'tllhltll'lllillltlll. he xa)x: ‘l \\ax plating ;\meriean l'nnthall \\ith le~_\ear-nldx L‘\L‘l'}tl;l} \\ hen making |the upenmingl l.('tll/lt’l‘/lt'(l(/\. 'l‘hat ix gning tn keep )nu lit.‘ Yet \xhen axked the xame quextinn nn a 'l’\' inter\ie\\ a text da)x later he xaid: ‘l lnxt \\ eight h_\ e_\ eling e\er_\ da_\ near m_\ hnme in lake ('nmn. l.\' milex xtraight up a hill.‘ \\hieh xnundx like a tar mnre plauxihle e\planatinn.

'l‘he nnl_\ time ('lnnne) xeemed rul'l'led in Veniee \\ax during a prexx ennlerenee \\hen an Italian jnurnalixt axked him him he enuld make enl‘l’ee ad\ertx l‘nr .\'ext|e when he tnade lilmx that highlighted the enrrupt praetieex nl hig enrpnratinnx. 'l'he xmile tempnrar} xlipped lt‘nttt hix l‘aee ax he retnrted: ‘l'm nnt gning tn apnlngixe tn _\nu l'nr tr_\ing tn make a lixing e\eI'_\ nnee in a uhile. 'l‘he truth Ix that l dn an a\\lu| lnt nt' \\I)l'l\ \xith [wnple in hn} entted enuntriex. like in the Sudan. hut I‘m nnt gning tn

‘I'M NOT GOI 'r H APOLOGISE TO 0" FOR TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE'

tr_\ tn reenneile In} \tnik here I tlnirt teall_\ ha\ e an anx\\er and that Ix xnIt nl an IIIrtatIng tItIextinII.' lt ix true that (‘lnnne_\ Ix nue nl the ten aetnrx \xhn uxex hix lame In It} In I‘aixe auarenexx nl' xneial illx. \ le\\ da_\x alter nut inter\ie\\. \\hen ('lnnne} \\ax in l-ranee tn pIek UP lllL' ( illL'HlllL‘l’ l)L'\ t\l'lt'\ L'l l L'Ill'L'\. llL' ll\L‘tl lllL' mnment tn nnee again hIghlight the euIIent plight nl eiti/enx in l)arlur.

\L‘l lllL‘ aetnr ttl\\;t}\ \L‘t'llh lllttxl ttl L'il\k' ttlltl happ} “hen he ean he a gnnlliall and dtxpla} hIx ehat‘m and Mt. lle Ix ahnut tn xtart unrk nn the (inert Hrnthet'x' latext lilin. III/m (II/('1 /\)l'tlt//II'.". alnngxide hix gnnd ltiend and ()t ('(U/n en xtar Brad Pitt. ('lnnne} [‘l;l_\ltlll_\ Inkex that l’itt Ix amnng a litan} nl eelehrItIex lamnux lnI dnmg nnthing and eallx him ‘a Hit} little man rnnmt' gi\en that ('lnnne} Ix lar xhnrtei than I’Ittt, ('lnnne} the lamed llatterei xtttkex agam.

Michael Clayton is on general release from Fri 28 Sep.

THE LIST 1 1