City swims with ‘Ocean’s’ stars

June 8, 2007 by admin
Filed under Movies

By Terry Armour - Chicago Tribune
Published June 8, 2007

Please excuse us, Messrs. Clooney, Damon and Cheadle. We’re not really used to this kind of stuff. So when we stand outside in the scorching heat for more than two hours then scream our heads off, non-stop, for almost an hour, please understand that it’s because we’re not New York or Los Angeles.

Yes, even members of the cast of “Ocean’s 13″ were pleasantly surprised by the greeting Thursday when they arrived at the AMC River East theater complex for the red-carpet treatment before a special screening of the film, which opens nationwide on Friday.

While tickets to the show and an afterparty at Room 21 in the South Loop cost a reported $1,500, the stargazing was free. Hundreds of fans who packed nearby rooftops and wedged themselves into bleachers set up on Illinois Street got their own thrill.

“The fact that they came out in the heat like this is pretty amazing,” said George Clooney, who mingled with the crowd alongside Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Ellen Barkin and surprise guest Bruce Willis. “It’s always nice when people show up. You don’t always know if anybody is going to show up.”

And those who showed up with deep pockets helped raise funds for Not on Our Watch, which the actors and “Ocean’s 13″ producer Jerry Weintraub organized to aid relief efforts in Sudan’s Darfur region.

Before the premiere, the group announced a donation of $2.75 million to the International Rescue Committee to support aid to Darfur.

Between quips about his castmates, Cheadle said that’s what the evening was really about. “Hopefully, we’re able to parlay this into an opportunity to talk about something that’s very important,” the actor said.