UNITED KINGDOM: George Clooney and new flame Stacy Keibler attend London premiere of "The Descendants"
Record ID:
219310
UNITED KINGDOM: George Clooney and new flame Stacy Keibler attend London premiere of "The Descendants"
- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: George Clooney and new flame Stacy Keibler attend London premiere of "The Descendants"
- Date: 22nd October 2011
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (OCTOBER 20, 2011) (REUTERS) FANS WAITING/WIDE OF RED CARPET
- Embargoed: 6th November 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: United Kingdom
- Country: United Kingdom
- Reuters ID: LVA60OE5PO3FTA1D170KVBN1WDYV
- Story Text: After a no show at the premiere of "The Ides of March" Hollywood actor George Clooney has eventually introduced the new lady in his life Stacy Keibler to waiting crowds and media at the BFI London Film Festival.
Clooney and Keibler arrived together on the red carpet of "The Descendants", the actor's second movie to premiere in London this week.
The film was one of the big attractions at the Toronto International Film Festival, with critics calling his performance perfectly underplayed. Clooney plays the key role as a father forced to rethink his life after his wife suffers a debilitating accident.
The film, an adaptation by director Alexander Payne of "Sideways" fame from Kaui Hart Hemmings' 2007 novel of the same title, is exploring the ways flawed ordinary people cope with life.
While some already tip this latest project to become a likely Oscar contender next year, both Clooney and Payne played down the awards buzz at the premiere, with the actor saying that for him, the world of movies was not about competition.
"I like films and I like watching films and I remember films", Clooney said. "So if they're nice to the film I'm always very happy but really -- I pay attention to the movies myself so that's what's fun for me."
Payne remained equally coy.
"If it means some people think I've made a good movie and the actors have done a good job then I'm happy. But about taking stuff like that seriously well that's kind of hard."
Just like "Sideways" Payne's follow up movie has yet again been produced on a low budget. While this doesn't mean that he would turn down opportunities of working on bigger productions, Payne explained he does enjoy the creative freedom low budget movies provide.
"I'll do anything if -- the screenplay is good. It all depends on the script but I know for this, this is my fifth feature film and I wanted to keep a low budget just out of insecurity. I don't want anyone breathing down my neck with too much pressure for my films to have to make a whole lot of money. Then the other people get nervous. -- I want complete creative freedom and I am much more able to do that, other filmmakers too with a controlled budget," he said.
Payne and Clooney also talked about the importance of film festivals and what opportunities they provide for independent movies.
"It's really nice to have a film here (at the London Film Festival)", Clooney said. "You know films like this are very hard to get made and you need festivals to help sort of -- display them as best as we can because they're not easy to sell."
Clooney's films have strongly featured at present and past festivals. In 2009 three of the actor's films premiered at the London Film Festival, including the Oscar-nominated "Up in the Air".
This year Clooney has been busy promoting projects at Telluride Film Festival, Toronto and Venice.
This had prompted director Payne at a recent news conference jokingly referring to Toronto as the "George Clooney Film Festival," an expression he used again on Thursday night, terming London as "another George Clooney film festival," to which Clooney replied "Yeah, so what."
While the two enjoyed sharing their jokes on the red carpet, Clooney appeared less inclined to talk about his private affairs. The actor brushed off repeated questions about his thoughts on fatherhood and his relationship to Stacy Keibler.
"The Descendants" will be released in the UK on November 23. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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