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The Descendants
George Clooney and Alexander Payne talk about forgiving oneself. The Descendants

George Clooney and Alexander Payne talk about forgiving oneself. The Descendants

George Clooney and Alexander Payne talk about the acting in the 2011 film The Descendants.

George Clooney talks about Gregory Peck's performance in To Kill a Mockingbird. "He wasn't the obvious hero. He was reluctant. And that was what made it so special. He didn't want to take up the cause." He talks about how it was such a different character than he normally plays. George said his character was much easier to play. It's a nice guy who thinks he's doing a good job. He also talks about Robert Redford's Ordinary People. A family that would've been fine, if something tragic hadn't happen along the way.

He says this character realizes he has lost every argument and fight. And it's different from his usual character, who start out confident and slowly realize they've lost their soul. This character just isn't aware.

Alexander Payne says one of the hardest things in life is forgiving oneself. Clooney agrees. "I think that's more than true. It's like actors when they say: oh, this is easy, I'm just playing myself. The hardest thing you can do as an actor as actually truly play yourself. It's a funny thing. You'll deflect and find other ways around it. Find ways to say: well, that's not actually me, you know."

They talk about Laurence Olivier breaking down on stage. And Alexander Payne has an anecdote he told Clooney before.

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