George Clooney wants you to take him seriously

LOS ANGELES--When the former Caped Crusader met the consigliori, it wasn't good for the ego. A few months ago, George Clooney was suffering through an awards ceremony and was told to wait in the wings with Robert Duvall, who played Corleone family counsel Tom Hagen in "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part II."

"Duvall was getting a lifetime achievement award while I'm actor of the year, which is embarrassing enough," Clooney says. "I went up to this screen legend, shook hands and said, 'You know, we have such similar careers. You did 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and I was in 'Batman and Robin.'

"'Bob, you did 'Network' and I was on 'Battle of the Network Stars,'" said Clooney.

In a black sweater and jeans on an early Sunday morning in his suite at the St. Regis Hotel, Clooney drops his handsome mug into his hands like all of the above is not really that funny to him. His rolls those big brown eyes and he recalls that night at the Video Software Dealers Association Awards. He remembers that all Duvall could do was sit back and chuckle, which just made Clooney even more resolved when it came to trying to change his entire career. Forget the Hollywood hunk label and fast talking, cool dude we saw last year in "Ocean's Eleven." George Clooney wants you to start taking him seriously.

To that end and on Friday, he stars in "Solaris," a psychological science fiction thriller about a man trapped in space and in the regrets of his own mind, including the tragic death of his beloved wife. A few weeks later, he makes his directorial debut in "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," starring Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore and Clooney in the film version of "Gong Show" creator Chuck Barris' wild autobiography that claims he was a CIA operative.

Not half bad for a guy who once starred on "The Facts of Life" as Tootie's crush.

Clooney says the biggest challenge of all was calling the shots for "Confession." "It was tough, but I loved it because it's really a complex film. The narrative is really all over the place and finding a voice for the movie wasn't easy," he says.

He says that there were many late nights at his bachelor pad where he could be found tossing and turning in bed. "It was like, 'Oh my God, don't let me screw it up," he says. To that end, Clooney became a bit of a maniac when it came to the details. "I storyboarded every shot like my friends Joel and Ethan Coen do. Of course, that doesn't always help when you get to the set and say, 'Well, wait, let's try it this way.'"

While he was editing "Confessions," he signed on to play one of his most complex roles ever in "Solaris." "That confused, exhausted look I need during parts of 'Solaris' was real because I was up all night editing," he says, laughing.

The science fiction flick, produced by James Cameron and directed by Steven Soderbergh, Clooney's friend and partner in his production company, is more of a mental trip through outer space. "The theme is that love transcends time," Clooney says. "The thing that was most interesting to all of us was that my character is in love with a woman who committed suicide, but then asks himself, 'Are we destined to repeat all of the exact same mistakes again? Does she have to die?'

"It's a film about questioning God and questioning relationships, which seemed different and exciting to me," he says. In fact, Clooney actively campaigned for the role. "I love to write people letters because it's an easy way to communicate, so I wrote Steven Soderbergh about why I wanted to do this project which is that I'm a guy who questions everything, too. I also loved the fact that 'Solaris' wouldn't be an easy sell because it stretches and pushes the limits."

Mostly, it asks the question: Would you even want to live your life all over again? That seems like a no-brainer when your name is George Clooney and you're a handsome, multimillionaire movie star.

"Would I do it again? Hell, I would do some of my press over just to give smarter answers," he says, laughing. Then, he sobers. "I'd love to do 21 again. You know, just for the hell of it." He pauses and then adds, "I know I've made a multitude of mistakes in life, but I think it's the mistakes that land you in the good places."

Clooney is definitely in a good place these days with his $100 million plus hit "Ocean's 11" last year and his production company Section 8 with Soderbergh. "I'm really happy, you know," he says. "Steven and I are together in this company, which is the most exciting thing of all because our goal is to push the movie business and see how far we can go.

"For me personally as an actor, I also want to try to do things where I don't feel confident or things I don't think I can do well," he says. "If it means sticking my neck out, so be it. It's worth it to just raise the bar again.

"I'm a guy who grew up with the films of Stanley Kubrick, Mike Nichols and Sidney Lumet. Those are guys who made movies that really changed things and their films had a point of view," he says. "Why can't today's mainstream films ask their kind of questions about life and not just be easy sells that guarantee a $70 million box office opening weekend?"

Clooney admits that he's a bit scared to take these chances. "I know people see me as successful and confident, but the truth is I never feel that confident. As an actor, I never feel like I have it," he admits. "Sure, there are things I know are in my so-called wheelhouse. Take 'Ocean's Eleven.' That was something I could have fun doing because I was playing a cool guy and emotionally that wasn't such a stretch. It wasn't a sell-out because it was a smart, entertaining film. But, for me, it was an easy one.

"I love it when I step on a set and I don't really know emotionally what is going to be asked of me," he says.

Truth be told, it's been a rather emotional year with the passing of his beloved aunt and national treasure, singer Rosemary Clooney. Mention her name and Clooney's eyes mist up and his voice becomes that of a little boy.

"Oh, I miss her so much," he says. "My Dad used to talk to her every day and I talked to her all the time. It seems strange that I can't just pick up a phone and have her with me." In fact, during his struggling actor days in his early 20s, Clooney had a job as the limo driver to his aunt when she was on tour.

"There was nothing sweet and subtle about driving those broads around," he says, his eyes dancing merrily. "In the backseat, Martha Rae would shout, 'Georgie, pull the car over, I have to take a leak.' Then she'd hang a leg out the window and do her stuff while I kept looking forward. Meanwhile, my Aunt Rosemary would say, 'Honey, don't turn around. You'll learn too much about the aging process.'"

Clooney credits his aunt with why he hasn't become a drug-taking nightmare of a movie star who believes in his own fame above all else.

"Aunt Rosemary taught me about all sorts of things, including that there's no school for fame. She told me that until you're in it, you can't possibly explain to someone else that going to a premiere or doing press--the stuff people think is exciting--is truly sort of wearing and hard.

"She taught me by example of the mistakes not to make because she made all of them," he says. "Rosemary believed it at age 21 when everybody said, 'You're a genius.' At age 28 when the music industry changed, she didn't become less of a singer, but suddenly rock 'n' roll was here and no one thought she was a genius anymore. She hadn't done anything differently and suddenly, she was out. She was a failure, and she got caught up in drugs and did all of the things that everyone does, mostly based on the idea that she believed the hype.

"So, I learned a great lesson," he says, mentioning a similar story of when he was starting out and a CBS honcho said, "George, you're a genius."

Clooney recalls, "She was like, 'There's you and Robin Williams, geniuses!'" Two days later, the same exec told him his pilot for the network was horrendous and that he needed acting classes.

Clooney says what helped him was making it big in his 30s and not his 20s. "I had the maturity not to back myself in a corner," he says, shaking his head. "But I do understand why you see young stars lose their minds when they find fame. It does close in on you." Unlike those younger stars, Clooney has also known that having a sense of humor helps. When his "Batman and Robin" was perceived as a failure, he was the first one to declare, "Well folks, I ruined the franchise."

"I realized long ago that I couldn't be afraid to say, 'OK, you got me. I'm a hack,' " he says. "As long as you're sort of willing to take the hit yourself then you're being honest and others can't get you."

Well, not always. Clooney says the intense scrutiny on his personal life is why he has gone on the attack against tabloid TV shows. "You know, there are people out there with cameras who don't even try to catch me doing something wrong. They try to create me doing something wrong," he says. "These photographers go through the airport where I'll be walking with a female friend and they'll scream, 'So, who is the fat girl, George?' "

"Yes, I'm angry," he says. "But I can't react and become defensive or they get their story."

He shakes his head and insists, "Of course, I'm not allowed to complain about that because I'm doing pretty well, and the trick is sort of understanding that. A guy who cuts tobacco for a living does not want to come home and turn on his TV and hear someone like me going, 'You know, life is tough in my mansion with my Porsche.' They just don't want to hear it."

"The trick is to understand that all of my things are small compared to what other people out there are going through," he says.

Of course, the Kentucky native who cut his teeth on his father Nick Clooney's local TV shows, always wanted to be famous. It just took a couple of decades for him to get there. "The funny thing is that I never gave up," he says. "I figured that as an actor if I was working then I was winning because 95 percent of the people who want to be actors never work. They're in the union but make less then five grand a year.

"So, even when things weren't great and I was doing 'Sunset Beat' or 'Baby Talk' on TV, I still felt like a winner," he says. "I knew they were terrible shows, but I had a job."

What about the film "Return of the Killer Tomatoes?"

"I wasn't going to bring that one up. Thanks a lot," he jokes. "Hell, I still made $100,000 that year, and that's a great living, even if you're being attacked by large vegetables."

He quit "ER" in the mid-'90s to forge a film career, but lately Clooney has been feeling less interested in your basic popcorn fare." 'Now, I'm also responsible for bringing in an audience, and if I'm going to be responsible, than I'm not longer just a performer in a film. I'm also responsible for the material that I pick."

He's also responsible for life as an A list movie star. Again, Aunt Rosemary put it into perspective for him. "She died last May when we were shooting the most difficult emotional film I've ever done which is 'Solaris.' On the day she died, we were doing the only happy scene in the movie and I got the call that she was dying.

"So, I went over to her house to say goodbye. I also told her that at the end of my movie 'Confessions,' I have her singing 'There's No Business Like Show Business' and that made her really happy,
which made it all worth it to me."

Clooney is also happy when he think about the future. "The other day I was talking with a friend and I said, 'I wonder what my legacy will be?' I'm at a place where I have money and opportunities, but I also know that even the Warner brothers were fired. Eventually, all this hoopla is going to go away and the only thing I'll have left is my legacy.

He runs a hand through his chestnut hair and adds, "I love films like 'Harry Potter' and 'Ocean's Eleven.' I'm not an entertainment knocker because in these times entertainment is a really good thing, but it's also nice to do an 'L.A. Confidential,' too. It's good to do something with a little meat for the legacy."

So, what would he like his legacy to be? "Oh, 'Batman and Robin,' " he says and laughs.

© Chicago Sun-Times, by Cindy Perlman