I knew from the beginning that to ensure a successful romantic comedy I had to have the queen of the genre by my side - and then, when she wasn't available for the role, we settled on Julia," George Clooney opens the conversation with a playful joke, sitting to the right of his film partner since time immemorial.
Julia Roberts laughs and immediately puts her hands on his throat as if to choke him as he continues, "Oh, you're here? It's good to see you, because last night at the party after the premiere you were face down on the floor."
If you were wondering why the two huge Hollywood stars were matched to lead another movie together for the fifth time, then just by watching the amusing bickering between them you can quickly conclude about the effortless comedic chemistry that prevails between the esteemed actors, without any script.
Laughter on the set.
Clooney and Roberts, photo: Universal Pictures
"We respect the dialogues that are written for us in the film, but we appreciate when we are given room to improvise between us," Clooney confesses about the secret of the magic behind working together, "and we have an understanding beyond that, because we both also work as producers in films. After a while you manage to hold your own in the profession , you look for additional ways to take part in the process. So in casting, for example, we don't interfere, because it's just a reminder of how much you yourself have matured compared to the young actors being tested, but writing, directing and producing - definitely come into consideration.
"In some cases you are a main producer, and your responsibility is to bring the money to finance a project. But most of the time it is the job of a co-producer, which means helping with distribution and promotion. You also want to have more involvement, not just rely on the opinions and decisions of others, because slowly - Slowly you reach a dangerous area with this. These are insights that come with age."
Was there any need for rehearsals before filming?
"No," admits Roberts, "we know each other pretty well," and Clooney responds with a roll of his eyes, "that's called acting!"
An ugly woman
Two decades have passed since they first collaborated on the big screen in "Ocean's 11" directed by Steven Soderbergh, alongside stars such as Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, which brought in $450 million and ranks as the highest grossing film of her career and Clooney's second highest grossing after the space drama "Gravity" .
The following year, Roberts starred alongside Clooney in his directorial debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and in Ocean's 12.
The last time they appeared together was in the suspense drama "The Money Monster" from 2016, directed by another beloved actress - Jodie Foster.
In "Ticket to Heaven" they play a divorced couple with a common daughter (Caitlin Deaver, "Plowing the Night", "Unbelievable" on Netflix), who immediately after graduating from law school goes on vacation to Bali, although technically the film was shot in the Queensland Islands in northeastern Australia During our winter, the summer months in the southern hemisphere, and there she falls in love with a local guy and informs her parents by email that they intend to get married and that she is staying there.
Despite the mutual enmity, the careerist parents must join the plan to get their daughter back, and they take off together to the tropical island to prevent the wedding.
Come to entertain people, photo: Universal Pictures
The film, intended from the beginning for Roberts and Clooney, was written and directed by the British Al Parker, who previously directed "The Exotic Marigold Hotel" and the sequel to "Mamma Mia!"
When the project was announced by Universal Studios a year and a half ago, they explicitly stated that the film would be distributed first in theaters, despite growing interest from all streaming services, as an act of declared support for the economic relevance of movie theaters, even in the post-corona era.
"We do joke today about the promotion we enjoyed on the set, but working under quarantines and corona restrictions is nothing compared to what the citizens of Australia sacrificed when they obeyed the quarantine orders imposed on the country with the outbreak of the epidemic," Clooney declares, "If we in the US were to behave like them, the lives of 900 thousand people would not have been taken.
The move by the Australians was sheer courage, and getting there to film when the situation improved paled in comparison to what they had been through.
It was an honor to work with them."
But it wasn't just the challenges of the corona virus that they skipped relatively easily.
"The challenge was mostly in the hands of the director who ran the business. He already wrote us a beautiful script, and he was also right to manipulate the entire crew and actors so that we would pay attention to everything he had to say. There was not one bad day on the set, people should understand that this is rare So this is first of all a great compliment for him."
"He was very gentle with us," adds Roberts, "funny and brave and confident in himself and what he wanted to achieve. He understood each of us individually and functioned like a shepherd leading everyone on the right path. I also think it was evident watching the film. For me the main incentive was All those stings in the script to George's past, I love it and believe that you see it in me. I enjoy watching him just fall hard in love with me, on a pathetic level even, not understanding the hint that my character has moved on with her life and is not interested in him. But he doesn't assume Le, does not realize that there is nothing to be done about it and takes advantage of what is happening with the daughter to find his way back into her life. Truly pitiful."
Clooney is no longer obliging and interrupts her dismissively, "Whatever! You obviously didn't understand the plot at all because this is actually a story about a man who had to endure his life with a terrible woman, from whom he divorced, just because they have a child together, but he still deeply despises her. And he is also a better father than her, she has zero skills."
Roberts is out of work
The duo's relaxed mood is evident in the relaxed look in which each of them arrived at the Zoom press conference.
Roberts in a summery, wide white dress with a gray blazer over it, wears glasses and has messy auburn hair.
Clooney in jeans and a simple purple polo shirt, leans back most of the time, sometimes makes faces at her, easy and feels at home next to his best friend.
"When we first met for the filming of 'Ocean 11' we sat on the floor and just joked around for hours, that's how the ice broke," Clooney recalled of their acquaintance, "since and always the dynamic between us was easy and uncomplicated. And this time when we both received the script at the same time from the director, I picked up the phone And I said, 'Have you read it yet? Because it only works when we're both in the story,' and luckily everything worked out and we set off. It's great fun working with friends, and with Julia."
"Understand, he's just already in the stages of abandonment anxiety," Roberts explains to me with a wink, "he remembers that after we're done here, I'm in a hurry to get on a plane back home and he feels he needs to keep me away so he doesn't get hurt. What he doesn't understand is that the longer Passing, that's how he exhausts me and I don't want him with me anymore."
Clooney: "My plan worked!"
When you were sailing on the boat in the movie, you looked sweet together.
Roberts: "I promise you he doesn't remember. George, there was a boat we sailed on in one of the scenes."
Clooney: "I was on pills that day."
Roberts: "Everything there was huge and life-threatening. I came, for example, to pick up an oyster and they told me 'don't you dare, it will kill you'."
Clooney: "Even when I saw a cute little toad they told me it was poisonous. And they kept warning us about the little jellyfish because they are the deadliest. Is this a ticket to heaven?"
Roberts: "A ticket to the emergency room."
You also show skills on the dance floor.
Clooney: "I asked in advance that we reserve the rights to the hip-hop song 'Jump Around' by the band House of Fine. This is my trick from home at every party - jumping is the only dance technique I bring with me, certainly when you're drunk. I practiced it for years. I was very proud of myself , although the young actors looked from the sidelines at her expression. Their unsympathetic reaction was uniform. And we were required to keep the length of the song to only one minute because the cost is a million dollars."
Roberts: "So there's a lot more footage of George in awkward dance moves that didn't make it in."
Does releasing a film now necessarily make the situation easier after two and a half difficult years?
Roberts: "Yes, that's the feeling. In general, there's always a desire to make the audience laugh, George and I come to entertain people. It's a great pleasure, especially when it's during filming on the set, when crew members watch us together on the monitor and burst out laughing. When we hear them, It's confirmation that we succeeded and we can continue to the next scene. Working together in such a supportive environment is fun. And when we spend time together in a special way on a remote island without being able to escape anywhere, it's a privilege."
Why this movie?
Roberts: "It's hard to find a good comedy and we've never really made a big funny movie, although that's how we act when we're together in real life, so it felt the most appropriate. And when I'm on the film, I tend to concentrate on the particular job I have to do - and that is to keep George behaving well It's a full-time job."
Clooney: "That's a good answer, but not correct. The truth is that she called me and said she was out of work, ready to do anything. So because her career hadn't been going well since Erin Brockovich 22 years ago, I came to her aid."
Life is heaven
Roberts and Clooney have all the reasons in the world to be satisfied with themselves, on the standard of two of the beloved Hollywood names for three decades, in an era where it has become difficult to produce giant global stars like them.
Another thing they have in common, no one will be surprised, is that Roberts has been named the most beautiful woman in the world five times and Clooney has been chosen as the sexiest man twice according to People magazine. And contrary to the popular assumption following unsuccessful film attempts and several trendy forays into television in the last decade, financially both actually prospered.
Clooney (61) leveraged his fame into equity which is estimated at half a billion dollars, thanks to the sale of the tequila brand "Casamigos" together with his close friend businessman Randy Gerber (husband of the retired supermodel Cindy Crawford) and their business partner Michael Maldman for one billion dollars, and being a presenter in commercials of the Nespresso brand.
Last year, he revealed that he refused $35 million for a single day of filming for an airline commercial, because it was "a country that, although it is an ally, is sometimes controversial, and I thought that if it was a sleepless night, it wasn't worth it."
On the net, the boycotters were quick to claim that it was El Al, while the others assumed that it was likely that it was the Emirates company of the United Arab Emirates, which has a huge budget and usually recruits superstars for advertisements, such as Jennifer Aniston and Chris Hemsworth.
The sale of the tequila company jumped Clooney in 2018 to the top of the ranking of the highest paid actors in Hollywood according to "Forbes" magazine, precisely during a short break from acting.
Roberts, 54, topped the list of highest-paid actresses thanks to a forgotten role on her resume, "Mona Lisa Smile," for which she earned $25 million in 2003. In the spring, she filmed an upcoming Netflix drama called "Leave The World Behind," reportedly with a salary Same as two decades ago.
His net worth is estimated at about half of Clooney's, a quarter of a billion dollars, thanks in part to his 12-year presenting contract with the cosmetics company Lancome and a jewelry collection that he released with the elite brand Chopard.
"Thanks to the advertisements for Lancôme, I visit Paris once a year, and as far as I'm concerned, I'll do whatever they ask me to do there," says Roberts, "There are areas I like more and certain stores I usually visit, but I don't want to say exactly so they don't follow me there. I'm joking. It's mainly because I probably won't know how to pronounce the name properly in French and I'll embarrass myself. I like to travel in every city as much as possible, where you can walk a lot and enjoy everything around me. But I no longer travel the world like I used to. We're a very warm family so it's not I miss her very much. I love that everyone who enters the house says hello and announces that they have arrived, such minor rituals that are very important to me. And when I return home from a photo shoot, for example, we all hug, just want to connect and bridge gaps, and this has become more significant over the years because I work in very specific periods And every family reunion is even more special."
the best there is
Since Roberts married her husband, the photographer Danny Moder, in 2002, she has put her career on hold in order to raise their children at the family farm in New Mexico, the twins Hazel and Phineas, who will soon turn 18, and Henry, 15. After the romantic hits "Pretty Woman", "Notting Hill " and "My Friend's Wedding", in 2000 she officially received the ultimate seal of quality when she won an Oscar for "Erin Brockovich".
Nine years ago she was nominated for the first time since then for "August: Osage County", and half a year later she was also nominated for an Emmy for the TV movie "The Normal Heart".
In recent years, she tried her luck again on television in the mini-series "Homecoming" and "Gazlit", but was not able to get on the air.
In any case, her achievements that are really important to her are in another field.
"The three best things that happened to me in my life are that I was born, that I got married and that I had children," she says, "In marriage I found the perfect match for me. There is no general definition of what it means to find the person that suits you in our whole huge world. These are the things that shape your character, that refine the definition of who you are as a person, and my children are quite creative and music lovers, especially my daughter, who plays the piano with great talent. Music is everything in the house. I am overjoyed when I hear her play."
And do you miss it when you are away from home on a shoot?
"Look, this profession requires mental strength. More than 30 years, and not much has changed. If it's not photo shoots, then promotional events and interviews like now, wandering from city to city. I take comfort in the fact that I'm with other actors and I'm there to help, they feel free to contact me For advice. Even in my private circle of friends, I'm usually the one who gives advice and am honored to do so."
You have reached a stage in your career where your film has become a musical, "A Beautiful Woman", soon also in an Israeli version.
"It's completely surreal, I didn't imagine how strange it would be to watch a musical on Broadway a few years ago. The producers did a great job, I had a lot of fun and my cheeks hurt because I was smiling with pride throughout the show. I really didn't imagine how unusual it is suddenly to hear the actors convey the story on a theater stage.
"Young Julia said these texts to fill a scene in the film", she reveals and laughs, "We improvised throughout the filming, we constantly tried to change lines in the script and make the late director Garry Marshall laugh along the way. I miss him very much."
what do you do in your free time
"I knit, for family members, friends, for everyone, and certainly in the coming months for the holidays with us."
A fatal collision
Clooney himself screwed up, when he abandoned the title of eternal bachelor and married Lebanese-British lawyer and human rights activist Amal Almuddin (44) in 2014.
Five years ago the twins Alexander and Ella were born, and the family jumps between houses in Los Angeles, Mexico and France and the luxurious villa on Lake Como in Italy.
Over the years he won two Oscars, for best supporting actor for his role in "Soriana" in 2006, and as a producer in "Argo" directed by Ben Affleck in 2012.
Along with professional projects, Clooney was also known for his political and humanitarian involvement, although in an interview with the BBC last year he denied any intention of running for politics himself and said, "I'm over 60 and I want a nice life. I discussed the issue with my wife, we both work a lot and I already see Gil on the horizon 80. It's a tangible number, no matter how much I exercise, so we want to enjoy these years as much as possible."
"Is this a ticket to heaven? A ticket to the emergency room."
Clooney and Roberts, photo: AP
One of the moments that made him open his eyes was a motorcycle accident in July 2018, when he collided with a car while speeding on the way to a photo set in Sardinia of the mini-series "Catch 22", which he produced, directed and starred in.
"On the way back from the hospital, Amal asked me if I wanted to ride from now on," says Clooney now looking back, who miraculously escaped with only minor injuries, "and I was still quite upset. I hit the car at a speed of about 110 km/h, and I was very lucky because on According to statistics, I shouldn't be sitting here today.
I used up all nine of my souls in one go.
So I came to the conclusion that at best I have another 40 years left to live, and I can put the motorcycle aside.
I have twins to think about, it's a responsibility I didn't know before.
But I made the decision myself," he declares, "Amal didn't force me to give up the hobby."
Did you like the idea of marriage?
"I was married before, people don't remember. It didn't last because I wasn't very good at it, so in interviews I said I would never marry and it became a mantra identified with me. In practice it wasn't something I ran towards, let alone parenting. Then a wonderful woman entered my life And I thought I would be lucky if we got married and raised children. I couldn't imagine a more special scenario."
Do you speak with the children in several different languages?
"The truth is that since most of the time we are at home on Lake Como, Italian has become a central language for them, along with English. There is no doubt that in the brain department they got my wife's genes. They are funny and brilliant children. My son already knows how to do pranks just like his father.
"Life changed as soon as we became parents. Here's an example, the girl didn't feel well in the middle of the night and immediately crept into our bed, and I moved to sleeping on the couch in the nursery. So you have to make all kinds of compromises and changes. But I'm the luckiest guy in the world. Late in life I suddenly met a woman That I can't imagine how you can be more in love than I am in love with her, and I'm very proud of her. What more can you ask for? As long as the children sleep peacefully, life is beautiful."
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