My earliest memory of George Clooney was in ER, as Dr. Doug Ross, a role that shot the actor to fame. Since the mid 2000s, Clooney has been riding an ever-growing wave of success. Good Night, and Good Luck, Syriana, Michael Clayton and Up in the Air were all Golden Globe or Academy Award-recognised. Now, the star is up for Best Actor for his role as Matt King in The Descendants, a dramedy that's also up for another four nominations.
I have always been sceptical of the ability of 'heart-throb' actors, such as Leonardo Di Caprio, Jude Law, Brad Pitt and, yes, Clooney. However, with each film that I watch, with each actor, the more and more I realise how talented they are, onscreen. Whilst Clooney may commonly feature in People magazine for his sex appeal, and his bachelorhood continues to perplex fans, he is a strong film figure that is shifting away from his status as sex symbol to 'formidable film figure' status. His directing, writing and producing credits all date back to the very late 1990s; Clooney has been responsible for the creation of such titles as Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and The Ides of March. The man is capable of more than acting in front of the camera; he has a knack for constructing brilliance onscreen from behind the lens as well.
Even in films that have not won the hearts of award panels, such as From Dusk till Dawn and Three Kings, Clooney has always exuded an air of confidence and charm that makes the films he stars in all the more enjoyable. His collaboration with the Coen brothers on the set of Burn After Reading also worked a treat. His performance as the friendly and charming, but quietly idiotic Harry worked well in the narrative. It was a marked improvement on his performance as Miles in the Coens' haphazard 2003 romantic-comedy Intolerable Cruelty and a return to the brilliance of their period-comedy flick O Brother, Where Art Thou?, in which Clooney played Everett, a sheepish-faced convict on the run. His knack to liven up narratives of inherently poor and brilliant quality is, well, brilliant.
Forget Batman & Robin and Out of Sight! Clooney is a force to be reckoned with in contemporary Hollywood. His work has garned the respect and recognition of his peers and he has come a long way since his role as Dr. Ross on ER. His filmography consists of a nice blend of genre and character variety, ingreidents that have spiced up and added flavour to his career.
By Chris Traficante