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Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

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EW Is it true George wasn't your first choice for ''Solaris''?
SODERBERGH Well, I had been thinking about someone --
CLOONEY Abe Vigoda.
SODERBERGH -- and as it turned out, he was not even conceptually interested. [Though Soderbergh won't dish, the actor is believed to be Daniel Day-Lewis.]
CLOONEY I had to edit ''Confessions'' while I was acting in ''Solaris.'' I've done a TV series in L.A. and a movie in Arizona at the same time, but none of that was as difficult as this. So emotionally grueling, too. Every day was like ''Okay, today is the last day of your life. Okay, today your wife dies.'' All the things you never want to experience.
SODERBERGH Also, a lot of complicated abstract stuff. There's a fever-dream sequence where he's trying to stay awake by taking these pills, because if he doesn't, his wife is going to kill herself. Just this seven- or eight-minute visual sequence with no dialogue, in which he really doesn't understand what's happening. Putting yourself in those places, not only psychologically but physically, is really tricky.
CLOONEY It's not something that I'm known for, not something I've been asked to do in films. And for all of those reasons it was exciting for me to do. It's one of those times in your life where you just go, ''Well, I'm going to jump off the diving board.'' And you've got to trust that Steven has put a little something in the pool.

EW I should probably note that neither of you has allowed the press to see your respective films yet.
CLOONEY It's probably better that way.
SODERBERGH They're great.
CLOONEY They're the best.
SODERBERGH I think of the films you haven't seen this year, they've got to be right up there.

EW Let's say both of your films bomb. Does this have ramifications for what you can do with Section Eight?
CLOONEY ''Ocean's Twelve,'' baby!
SODERBERGH Put that on the fast track.

Originally posted Nov 15, 2002 Published in issue #682 Nov 15, 2002 Order article reprints
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