George Clooney, once thought of as nothing more than a pretty face who looked and acted kind of like Cary Grant, has turned into one of Hollywood’s most dynamic, diverse filmmakers -- starring in, writing, producing, and directing some of the most powerful movies of the past several years, including a few that aspired to change the world (or at least how we look at it). His latest turn behind and in front of the camera, Leatherheads, is a radical change of pace, a throwback to the screwball comedy genre that director Frank Capra helped give birth to with It Happened One Night. (Renee Zellweger and John Krasinski co-star.) George Clooney sat down recently to talk about the movie, his career, and stealing from -- er, homaging -- the masters of his craft.

Cole Haddon: Leatherheads is vastly different than the last few movies you’ve made, including Good Night, and Good Luck, which you wrote, directed, and co-starred in, and Syriana and Michael Clayton, which you starred in. All offer up powerful social commentary.

George Clooney: Right after Good Night, and Good Luck, everything that was coming to me were issues films. They -- [they being studios] -- were happy to let me direct, but it was going to be the Richard Clarke book, [Against All Enemies], the Valerie Plame story, whatever. I had a great fear of being an issues director, because the issues change and I have a much bigger interest in being a director.

CH: Well, Leatherheads is unexpected considering what you just said. It bears the mark of several great classic comedies.

GC: Yeah, I stole from Howard Hawks and Preston Sturges in a big way. I’m trying to think who all I stole from. Well, homage. I homaged the shit out of Howard Hawks and Preston Struges. And early George Stevens; there’s a film called The More the Merrier we were trying to rip off -- homage off, [that is].

CH: You and your actors use a style of acting in the movie that definitely hearkens back to those classics, almost bordering on the frenetic pace Rosalind Russell delivered her lines with in His Girl Friday.

GC: I call it front-foot acting. The tendency since probably Montgomery Clift came onto the scene is to internalize -- and that’s great, it’s made for some of the most amazing work ever. But what gets lost is [this] ability of answering almost just before you’ve heard the question, you’re answering almost that quick. The difference is, you can’t do it exactly like Rosalind Russell. She was brilliant. But if you took that performance and put it in a modern film, it would just be like an impersonation. [While making the movie, I’d constantly be saying], “Faster, faster, faster,” to the point that it’s too fast and then you have to slow it down.

CH: How hard is it for George Clooney the Director to work with George Clooney the Actor?

GC: The three films I’ve directed, the other two I had parts in, but I wasn’t the lead. It’s tricky because there’s an enormous amount of narcissism that comes into play. You’re breaking the trust between two actors, particularly when you’re in the lead. If you and I are doing a scene together, I’m not supposed to be judging you. Now, a lot do and they’ll tell you what to do, but, in general, you’re not supposed to break that trust. The director is. As an actor, it’s easy, because I know precisely what I need in the scene and I cut out one step being the director. It’s embarrassing, though, when you’re sitting across from Renee in a scene and she’s doing wonderful, but you can feel the camera’s in too close, too soon. It’s a weird, awkward thing.

CH: As you said, this is the third movie you’ve directed, but your role in front of the camera has increased with each one. Will that trend continue?

GC: I plan on continuing [that] increase. My next film is going to be a one-man show.

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