The Many Faces of George Clooney

14 January 2010

George Clooney is known for many things, not least his acting ability, and in his new role as Ryan Bingham in Up In The Air we once again see George reach new heights (sorry…) in his acting prowess.

One of the biggest success stories when it came to making the transition from the small screen to the silver screen, we are now taking a look back over his diverse career, and just what it is exactly that makes George Clooney one of the most respected actors in Hollywood today.

The Best a George can be…

Nominated for numerous awards and having won a total of 41 industry accolades over the years, it’s safe to say that this George can be very good.

His latest film Up In The Air promises to be no different with the award nominations already flooding in from the likes of the Golden Globe and the Writers Guild Awards, and he has picked up the award for Best Actor at the New York Film Critics Circle.

Our pick:
Up In The Air, Ryan Bingham – socially dislocated Ryan is more than happy with his isolated life, going even so far as to pity others their cluttered lives weighed down by “things” (family, friends and photos included).

Being forced to take a colleague on the road with him, Ryan starts to realise that there is more to life than work, and watching Clooney pass through various stages of emotional engagement in the film we can see why this performance has been nominated for a Golden Globe.

Comedy George

Possibly the biggest section in the Clooney back catalogue, George’s easy charm and laid back manner easily lends itself to all sorts of hilarity.

Whether it’s playing a southern hick in the Coen brother’s classic O Brother, Where Art Thou? who can’t seem to go 10 minutes without getting into trouble with the law, the Klu Klux Klan and various other antagonists or as Dany Ocean rubbing up notorious casino owners the wrong way, a laugh rarely comes with more charm than one with the Clooney trade mark stamped on it.

Our pick:
Intolerable Cruelty, Miles Massey – proving that Hollywood can still do old school charm, Clooney’s impressive portrayal of a high-flying but bored divorce lawyer was possibly the only thing that saved the Coen’s shift into mainstream from the critics.

The script, while slightly unoriginal, allowed ample scope for his sparky wit, and if Massey had been trusted into less beguiling hands we remain unconvinced that the film wouldn’t have been a complete flop.

Serious George

What can we say? Having already got two Oscars safely under his belt, I think it’s safe to think that George Clooney has firmly graduated into being a firmly respected ‘serious’ actor.

His depth of ability and emotional maturity can be seen in the diversity of his characters from the jaded Michael Clayton to driven and hardheaded Billy Tyne in The Perfect Storm.

Our pick:
Michael Clayton, Michael Clayton – for an audience used to seeing George with a twinkle in his eye and oozing charm, his memorable performance as dissatisfied Michael Clayton, a man who hates both his job and his life, is possibly one of Clooney’s most subtle and underrated performances.

The whole film comes together on his ability to be both crowd-pleasing and conflicted over decisions that can never be fully justified.

Bad George
Silver tongued George has the ability to take the least endearing character and make it attractive, and as such he is the perfect choice for any anti-hero – playing the man we should hate, but just can’t.

J-Lo struggled in Out Of Sight, and to be honest, we’re just surprised that he didn’t woo the vampires over to the right side in From Dusk Till Dawn.

Our pick:
From Dusk ‘Til Dawn, Seth Gecko – In his fantastic portrayal of Seth Gecko, Clooney somehow manages to make a murderer, kidnapper and general baddy look like the kind of guy you would want on your side.

This may be because he is pitted against Vampires, but he still manages to pull it off! While this may not be the most challenging role that has George ever played we feel safe saying that it is probably one of his most memorable and fun characters.

GI George
Amongst other things George is also known to be politically active, and his more action focused films always seem to have an underlying agenda to educate the masses – something that most people are willing to accept while watching him on the big screen.

His stand out role as Bob Barnes in Syriana is possibly one of his best performances (and led to him picking up his first Academy Award), and his 1999 role as Major Archie Gates in The Three Kings is another stand out performance.

Our pick:
Syriana, Bob Barnes – the fact that Clooney picked up his first Academy Award for his role as Bob Barnes gives you an idea that this was probably quite good. Highlighting the murky underbelly of America’s foreign policy, Clooney plays a CIA agent on the hunt for terrorists in the Middle East.

Packing on the pounds for this film, Barnes is a ‘weightier’ role than Clooney’s average; seeing him combine compassion and emotional intensity with a sense of danger that he just can’t get away from. A must see performance.

Sexy George
It’s hardly necessary to point out that, in fact, George Clooney is extremely sexy. Proving this point Out Of Sight was voted 2008’s sexiest film ever by show business "bible" Entertainment Weekly readers.

We could quote numerous roles, films and instances when George has proved again and again that he is very sexy, but…well, there’s just no need.

Our pick:
Out of Sight, Jack Foley –after a number of not-quite-so-successful films George finally hit his stride when landing his role in Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight. The story of an escaped bank robber on the run from J-Lo, becomes a tangled romantic web when the cop and the robber get a little steamy.

The role seems like it was tailor made for Clooney, and his charm and charisma throughout will have the ladies swooning and the men green with envy.

George in charge
Proving that his talents do not simply lie on screen recent years have seen Clooney move into directing, writing and producing films. We think that there’s still a lot more to come from George in this department, and can’t wait to see what he has in store for us in the future!

Our pick:
Good Night, And Good Luck, Fred Friendly – although George doesn’t actually star in this film (David Strathairn gained an Oscar nomination), we thought as only his second attempt at direction (he also co-wrote the film) it was an important addition to the list.

Seriously underappreciated, Good Night, and Good Luck has stunning visuals while staying true to the history of the story, and is a study in elegantly powerful film making while not being too pushy with its moral.

Up In The Air is released 15th January.