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Dec 15 - Dec 22,2002 |
Going out on an artistic limb
George Clooney takes risks in Steven Soderbergh's sci-fi romantic thriller Solaris
By Angela Baldassarre
Originally Published: 2002-12-01
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George Clooney
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In the year 2000 Steven Soderbergh achieved an unprecedented success with Erin Brockovich and Traffic, but this year's double-featured feat will not likely be a repeat. Full Frontal, released earlier this year, was a box-office dud, and Solaris too esoteric, even though it stars George Clooney.
The futuristic story deals with psychologist Dr. Chris Kelvin (Clooney) who is sent to investigate the unexplained behaviour of key scientists on a space station orbiting the planet Solaris. Once aboard, however, he also falls victim to the strange affliction, and is haunted by the memory of his dead wife, Rheya (Natascha McElhone). Along with the ship's captain, Gordon (Viola Davis), and crew member Snow (Jeremy Davies), Kelvin tries to uncover the secret of Solaris and to battle his past.
Tandem talked to George Clooney in Los Angeles about Solaris.
What do you think about the controversy where the classification board wanted to up the rating because of your naked butt scenes?
"I think there's something suspect about that. I think the studio is behind it. And it's understandable. It's not an easy film to sell, I don't know what the pitch would be. I think they're trying to spin their wheels."
You're taking a calculated risk with this film. Can you talk about how you weigh that risk?
"There is no weight at all, when you think about it. Steven (Soderbergh) and I have a company, and the idea we're trying to do, and we will succeed at times and we will fail at times, is to push all the limits. There's a period of time, from '65 to '75, of filmmaking, that was my favourite era of film, and Steven's as well. So the trick is, Steven wants to start raising the bar in saying: What's your legacy gonna be? He's saying it to the studio, he's saying it to himself, saying it to me, saying it to all of us. And so my job as his partner is to take whatever gambles we can take. Doesn't mean we'll succeed, but the main thing is trying. Let's make these films for adults, let's see if people come see it. I thought Three Kings was not at all a kids' movie, it wasn't at all quite what I think people thought it was before it came out, and Out of Sight was much more of a film I think than people were expecting, and that's Steven. I think all we're trying to do is just raise the bar, and then if we blow it, then at least we blew it while we had the chance. We've done Ocean's Eleven, which is good solid entertainment, and that helps us to afford to be able to try things like Solaris."
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