George Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh stopped by this year’s TCM Classic Film Festival to reminisce about the Ocean’s Eleven series, which just celebrated the 15th anniversary of Ocean’s Thirteen hitting theaters.
While regaling the audience with how the iconic first film came together, Clooney revealed the A-listers who turned down the heist movie, but not before getting in a good Batman quip after the crowd surprisingly went wild at the mention of Batman and Robin, which the actor had just noted was a low point in his career.
“I know you like that movie,” Clooney joked. “I know you like the bat nipples.”
According to Clooney, Julia Roberts was easy to lock down thanks to a charming note from the actor and her previous working relationship with Soderbergh on Erin Brockovich. But other big names didn’t hesitate to shoot down a part in the Ocean’s Eleven remake.
Via Entertainment Weekly:
That doesn’t mean it was all smooth sailing though. Clooney confirmed reports that both Mark Wahlberg and Johnny Depp were approached for Damon’s role as Linus. “Steven had just done Erin Brockovich and Traffic, and he was nominated for directing both films,” Clooney said. “So, people really wanted to work with Steven.”
“That said, some people did say no to us,” interjected Soderbergh.
“They did,” agreed Clooney. “Some very famous people told us to f— right off. Mark Wahlberg, Johnny Depp. There were others.”
“They regret it now,” Clooney noted before making it clear that he knows the feeling all too well. “I regret doing f—ing Batman.”
(Via Entertainment Weekly)