Desktop Site07 November 2009
With two of Hollywood's biggest names starring in a movie you would think Messrs Clooney and McGregor would be lapping up plenty of attention. But it seems they've all been outdone by a simple farmyard animal - the goat.
'The Men Who Stare At Goats' - the tale of an investigation of attempts by US military forces to use psychic powers in the Iraq war - sees a complete newcomer steal the show, and even its high-profile co-stars are in awe of it.
"There was a scene when George and I are lost, and we are sleeping in the desert. I am supposed to be awakened when a goat with a little bell walks by. I follow the goat and it leads us to water. It saves our lives. We did the first take and the goat just ran off!" Ewan McGregor said of his new furry friend, "But in the second take, the goat looked at me and it stopped perfectly in the frame. It stood there looking at me for almost 30 seconds. I looked at the goat and the goat looked at me, then it was almost as if he nodded and just carried on. It was absolutely perfect."
George Clooney also had plenty to say about his goat co-star's presence on the big screen.
He quipped: "I'm now working with goats; we spent a lot of time together. The goat I had to stare out was a great actor - if you told him to do something he would.
"Now if only I had got Ewan to take lessons from him, we'd be onto a winner!
"But although they were good, I don't think I want to be working with animals again in the near future!"
While the goat puts in an Oscar-worthy performance, the film itself is just as impressive.
Set during the present Iraq conflict, the film tells the real-life story of reporter Bob Wilson - played by McGregor - who meets Clooney's character, Lyn Cassidy, who claims to have psychic powers and to be a member of the now disbanded New Earth Army, a US military funded group who experimented in training soldiers to use unconventional techniques.
Cassidy tells Wilson how their new-age hippy leader had trained soldiers to use their minds to read the enemy's thoughts, pass through walls and even kill goats, simply by staring at them.
But while psychic powers are at the heart of the film, it's not something Clooney himself believes in.
"I just don't get it. I don't believe in it," the heartthrob said, "I haven't had anything weird happen to me. I just don't buy it. Everybody goes through deja vu but that's where it stops for me."
The powers members of the New Earth Army claimed to have were given a tongue-in-cheek view and the film's director Grant Heslov says that's exactly how he wanted it to be.
He said: "As a filmmaker, I was trying to be nonjudgmental about it. Especially in terms of what they were doing. The bigger question is: Do I think the government should be spending money on a program like this?
"In my view, I don't have any problem with it. What these guys were trying to do was a good thing. Any way we can find to fight wars that doesn't actually involve killing people would be a great thing. Do I think it's possible? Probably not. But I don't think it's a bad thing to shoot for."
The film is based on the book of the same title by author Jon Ronson, and Clooney - who was also one of the co-producers - admits it was a movie he had been wanting to work on for a long time because of the story and because he knew Heslov could do something good with it.
He said: "First of all there was book, and there was a documentary done as well which was very funny. The film had such a unique tone and I thought Peter just nailed the script. This is a script that's been around a long time so I've been aware of it and it's been named as one of the best unmade screenplays. So we were all anxious to get our hands on it and Grant had the right ideas."
It was just as thrilling for Clooney to be working with Heslov - with whom he collaborated on a number of projects including 'Leatherheads' - again as he has so much admiration for him.
"I have nothing but faith in him, incredibly talented and incredibly smart," the 48-year-old, "I've been his friend for almost 30 years and it's an honour to work with him."
And it seems the feeling is mutual as Heslov is a huge fan of Clooney and the pulling power he has in the movie world.
He said: "Once George decided to do it, it wasn't incredibly hard to get it made. Without George, it would have been hard."
It is clearly a movie everyone involved enjoyed making, and cast and crew had a blast on set as well as giving their own interpretation into the script.
"We had rubber band fights, we'd wound each other up," Clooney recalled, "I have done films where it's vitally important to be 100 per cent accurate but with this movie we thought we could have a bit more fun and not be so serious about the characters involved."
But while the film showcases a dark sense of humour and boasts an all-star cast, it could still find it hard to attract audiences because its set in Iraq and the war debate is something that still rages.
However, both Clooney and Heslov aren't too concerned as they insist it's not politically motivated anti-war movie and Iraq just happens to be the setting.
Clooney said: "It's hard to make films that directly deal with that subject matter, seeing as we're still in the middle of it.
"We didn't think of this as an Iraq war film - it's a very different story completely. But I think this one just happens to be set there. I never felt it was dealing with the idea of war."
Heslov added: "It really doesn't deal with the war. It's really a movie about a guy on a journey to find himself."
And the cast shouldn't have anything to worry about, as despite the controversial subject matter, when you have such a talented goat as the star, you can't go far wrong.
FemaleFirst - Kate Randall