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Press Conference Interview With The Cast And Director Of The Monuments Men

The Monuments Men marks George Clooney’s fifth directorial effort and as usual, he's assembled quite an impressive cast. Starring Clooney along with Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman and Cate Blanchett, the film deals with a little known story from World War II which focuses on George L. Stout, an American art conservation specialist who recruits a group comprised of museum directors, curators and art historians to head into Germany. They are tasked with rescuing works of art and other "culturally important" items from Hitler before he destroys them. While the film can often times feel like a playful heist movie, it also speaks to the great need for art preservation and the importance of protecting historical legacies.

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George is known for playing practical jokes on set. Where there any that he played this time around?

Cate Blanchett: We signed something that we wouldn’t reveal anything, including the horrendous atrocities that happened on set.

Matt Damon: I read somewhere that he took in my wardrobe by an eighth of an inch every other day. He had the wardrobe department do it because he knew I was trying to lose weight. This was a job where I would go back and forth to New York where I was living with my family and then I would come back for 2 weeks, and every time I came back the pants were tighter. I thought it was weird because I had been going to the gym.

George Clooney: He was eating like a grape but was saying “I don’t understand.”

Matt Damon: It’s nice having friends like that.

George Clooney: I’m just looking out for you. I was busy so I didn’t have a whole lot of time this time around. There wasn’t a lot of goofing around.

John Goodman, how was it working with Jean Dujardin for a second time?

John Goodman: Working with Jean was great this time around. He spoke English this time. This was probably my happiest filmmaking experience. It was just wonderful.

George Clooney: Jean is also really fun and he’s really funny and he really loves what he does. The minute he walks into the room he’s just funny and everyone just gets it.

Grant Heslov: He’s like the French George. They’re like twins.

Has getting a film made changed over the years for you?

George Clooney: I think Grant and I as partners for a long time have been interested in trying to find stories that are unique and stories that aren’t necessarily slam dunks for the studio to make and that would consist of us picking it up and carrying it in. This one, as the cast grew it became a lot easier to swallow. But it’s hard to make films like this. It was hard to get Argo made. It was hard to get Good Night and Good Luck made. I had to mortgage my house for it, so we are just trying to do films that are not necessarily where people would obviously say “yes let’s make it.” Sometimes they’re successful and sometimes they’re not, but they’re the ones we want to make. I think our inspiration in general is to try to get stories made.

Cate, how does working with Woody Allen compare to working with George Clooney as a director?

Cate Blanchett: Oh easy, easy, easy (laughs)! Oh, there are so many jokes!

Matt Damon: Working with George was very similar to working with Soderbergh, which makes sense since they worked so much together over the years and had a company together. George is obscenely talented as a director. Honest to God it was one of the best experiences that I’ve had, and I’ve worked with the best directors around and he belongs in their company, or even ahead of it.

Cate Blanchett: Working with Woody is like an emotional strip club but without the cash (laughs).

Are any of these Monuments Men still alive and have they seen the film?

George Clooney: There are a few of them still alive. They were the younger ones obviously.

Grant Heslov: A lot of families have reached out to us saying my grandfather was a Monuments Man, here are some pictures. I got a letter from one woman the other day who didn’t know anything about this book and through the press of the film saw the cover of the book and her grandfather is in that photo, so she’s going to come to the premiere.

George you were in one of the best movies of this past year, Gravity. What did you think about Alfonso Cuarón’s nomination for Best Director?

George Clooney: I thought the film fell apart about half an hour into it (laughs). Alfonso Cuaron is one of the great geniuses in the game. He really is a genius. He hasn’t made a bad film. He had a great love of what he does. I can’t tell you what an honor it was to work with him and see what he was doing. I’m telling you, we had no idea what was going on because it was two years of post-production finishing it. It was crazy; they were doing stuff that they hadn’t even invented yet in terms of CGI.

That concludes the press conference but we’d like to thank all of the talent for attending. Be sure to check out The Monuments Men when it hits theatres this Friday!