WHAT DO YOU get when you throw onto a film set notorious prankster George Clooney with his band of boys - Brad Pitt and Matt Damon - a couple of Hollywood's leading ladies, and the low-key charm of Carl Reiner and Elliott Gould?
A working atmosphere nothing short of being 'a blast', says Clooney.
The ringleader and star of Ocean's Twelve reunited with his cast-mates at a recent weekend gathering in Palm Springs, where the film's producer Jerry Weintraub has a home, and with whom the group are staying. The mood at the series of press events held at a nearby golf course during the two days was presumably similar to the goings-on during the European shoot for the movie: lots of banter between the stars, plenty of in-jokes, a real old-boys' club with a couple of hotshot actresses thrown in for good measure. A blast, really.
Ocean's Twelve, the sequel to 2001's Ocean's Eleven and, like its predecessor, directed by Steven Soderbergh, is up there as one of the most buzzed-about movies of the year. After all, with a stellar cast that includes Don Cheadle - most likely to be nominated for a string of awards for his role in the upcoming Hotel Rwanda - and Andy Garcia, the movie is an ensemble caper film in the best sense.
Catherine Zeta-Jones, who plays the love interest of Pitt, joins Julia Roberts in the male-dominated cast. Add to that lush sets - like the villa on Lake Como, Italy, where Vincent Cassel's character resides, as well as scenes shot in Rome, Paris, Amsterdam and London - and it's not surprising that the fun the cast had on the set translates to the big screen.
'There was actually no camaraderie at all on the set,' jokes Clooney, as movie star handsome as they come. 'Brad set the tone, and he's such a movie star.'
