George Clooney is back with Three Kings co-star Mark Wahlberg in The Perfect Storm, the dramatic true(ish) story of a small crew of fishermen who find themselves caught in a furious maelstrom. Clooney survived working in water for months, but was almost prevented from meeting the European press by a debilitating flu bug. Trouper that he is, though, the likeable star dragged himself from his sickbed to shoot the breeze with Virgin Net about his stormy hit.

George, what attracted you to The Perfect Storm?
"First and foremost it was the book. Before the studio even had the book, it was in everyone's radar as a really great story. And then there was Wolfgang Petersen: I felt the chance to work with him would be really silly to pass up."

How do you generally select what projects you do?
"After Batman & Robin I decided the best idea was just to focus on the scripts."

Despite spending so long on ER, you haven't become typecast. How'd you do it?
"You prevent that just by picking roles that are different. The last few roles were all the same height, but other than that they've all been a little different. But, you know, when you play the same guy for five years you sort of run out of tricks and run out of things you can do that keep it interesting. The nice thing about doing films is you do something for five months and then you walk away from it."

Nontheless, do you think you'll ever escape ER?
"I don't think you'll ever shake a show that is as popular as that show is worldwide. So as opposed to swimming upstream and trying to fight it, you accept that as part of your life. It's a big part of my life, and the lucky thing is I didn't get pigeon-holed into that being the only thing I'm allowed to do.

"I don't know that I'm trying to beat the rap exactly. It was a good show, I enjoyed it, and I'm proud to have been a part of it."

Did making a film like The Perfect Storm heighten your respect for the rescue services and fishermen?
"Yeah, I didn't really know that much about the fishing community. I grew up in Kentucky and we did a lot of tobacco farming. It was menial labour and not a great way to make a living, but nobody dies from it. So it was pretty fascinating. You have a healthy respect for the ocean anyway but, boy, it's a completely different thing when you're out there and spend time with these guys."

It's suggested in the film that your character, Billy Tyne, was responsible for the guys sailing into the storm. Are you happy with that?
"In the original draft it was much more Billy Tyne's decision. He didn't ask the other guys, it was more of a dictatorship. But Wolfgang thought that this should be much more about all their decisions. We don't know what happened in the boat in real life. What we do know is they had a hold full of fish, a broken radio, an ice machine that's down and a storm ahead of them.

"So we can guess, basically, what their decisions were; and we tried to make them so that they were not based on stupidity or machoism, but on reality. The Captain certainly tells them what they ought to do, but at least he's asking them.

"I was happy with this because I was friends with Roberta, Billy Tyne's sister. Her main concern was not to make him out to be a Captain Bligh or a Queeg. And the way you do that is by making the decision democratic."

Did you get seasick?
"Mark (Wahlberg) got seasick for one day, and he still says it was from bad sushi. But he threw up for longer than anyone I've ever seen anyone throw up in my life.

"We were doing a scene where we have a big fight up in the wheel house, and we were out in the water at Data Point, near Claifornia, and it was pretty rough. Wolfgang was sort of hidden in the corner of the wheel house, and Mark was just green.

"And it wasn't just between every take that he would throw up, it was between every line. Wolfgang and I had never laughed so hard in our lives. Anytime you see Mark in that state, it's good fun."

Was the movie fun to make generally, or did you reach a point when you thought, 'I can't stand to be wet one more day'?
"We didn't lose it but we'd get up at seven in the morning, get in the tank, and then they'd hit you with this dump tank of water. There's actually a photo of Mark and I standing there between takes where we've just been hit, and we look like we couldn't be more miserable. Wolfgang's standing right next to us with a big smile."

Diane Laine was saying that you and Mark are both painfully funny. Is it hard not to josh around on set?
"We've worked together now a few times and it's always fun. There are times when there are other people who are in scenes with us, and I think it becomes a little frustrating for them because we'll start laughing about something that happened to us a long time ago.

"You couldn't be serious and straight all the time, though. Not when you're in the water for 12 hours a day for four months. It's not the hardest job in the world but it is miserable. Wolfgang, though, made a lot of jokes and really kept it fun all the time. His sense of fun, and the fact that he loves what he does, was infectious."

(Referrring to Clooney's notoriously crazy bachelor pad and lifestyle) Tell me about your house with the dragons, the pig, the parties. You're 39 now - are you ever going to settle down, grow up and get married?
"Boy, get out of bed for this? (Laughs) Man. My house is fine, it's not a big frat house. The pig is healthy. The boys are all my best friends for 20 years. They're still around and they come by with their wives, and it's a fairly normal Mid-Western lifestyle. Am I ever going to settle down and get married? I have no idea."

You're scheduled to re-make the Rat Pack movie Ocean's Eleven with Steven Soderbergh. Can you tell us who's confirmed to star in it?
"Who's really in is Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts and, if Mark can finish his ape movie (The Visitor, a remake of Planet of the Apes) in time, he'll be in too. So instead of starting in January we'll probably start in February to see if we can get Mark. It's not going to be a Rat Pack movie, it's completely different."

Finally, The Perfect Storm topped The Patriot's opening numbers in America. Are you happy you beat Mel Gibson at the box office, and is this film a turning point for you?
"I wasn't competing with Mel. That was just something that came up because there was two big movies opening against each other. It's a turning point in my career because I got a chance to work with Wolfgang, and because it was a great character for me to play.

"And it's nice to have a good movie that's actually made money under my belt. Because although it didn't seem to matter as much to me, it did seem to matter to a lot of other people. I found that out when it made money. 'Wow,' they said, 'and you were on your way out'. I wish people had told me earlier."

By Steven Applebaum