On the Set of Up In the Air

First sighting of George on the set of ‘Up in the Air’ have come out.  Here’s an article and pics.

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Normally, Sonya Moore is crunching numbers as an accountant for the shops at Detroit Metro Airport.

But not with a film crew shooting the movie “Up in the Air” starring George Clooney at the McNamara Terminal.

“I’m working on seeing George Clooney today!” said Moore, 26, of Detroit at about noon.

As she stood with co-worker and fellow Detroiter Sarina Conrad, 24, behind stanchions and rope blocking the way, Clooney was visible only in glimpses, filming a scene about 300 feet away.

“What happens if we run over there – will we get tackled?” Conrad said, straining to see.

“We’re like one of those gawkers…” Continental Airlines secretary Karen Goretski, 45, of Carleton, chimed in. Because she had specific airport credentials, Goretski was able to get about 15 feet from Clooney, who spent much of the time chatting and smiling with the 180 extras hired to play leisure travelers in the film.

“He was so close,” Goretski said. “He is very handsome, very handsome. He’s very, very cute.”

Paramount Films started shooting the film today and expects to wrap up in Detroit by Friday, publicist Spooky Stevens said. Then they head to Omaha, Neb., St. Louis, Miami and home to Los Angeles by May, she said.

“So far it’s been fine,” said Stevens, who was also in Michigan when Drew Barrymore directed “Whip It,” starring Ellen Page last year. “We were here for three weeks, and everything was great. Now we’re here for just three days.”

Clooney, clad Tuesday in a dark suit and white shirt and tie and pulling a rolling suitcase for his role, is expected to play a corporate downsizer. His two main goals in life: to accumulate 1 million frequent flier miles and to land a job at a mysterious management company called MythTech, according to the Web site IMDB.com, which catalogs movie information.

“Up in the Air” is based on a book by the same name by Walter Kim. The movie is being directed by Jason Reitman, who also directed the movie “Juno.”

Also on the film set Tuesday was actress Anna Kendrick, who played Jessica Stanley in the film “Twilight.” She’s set to play the female lead in “Up in the Air,” according to the Web site annakendrickonline.org.

Schoolcraft College student Dan Crosby, 20, of Livonia reported to the airport at about 5 a.m. to be an extra in the movie, working for minimum wage. The crew handed him a Phoenix Coyotes NHL T-shirt — the film is set in Arizona even though it is being shot in metro Detroit — and he stood in the ticket counter line playing a leisure traveler until the production broke for lunch at about 2 p.m.

“This is awesome,” said Crosby, an aspiring actor who hopes to gain a little experience before he starts at Wayne State University’s theater program in the fall. “I love doing this stuff.”

Bryan Meganck will spend the week carting drinks and snacks for the crew to shooting spots at metro airport. He had expected when he started the Auburn Hills-based food service company five years ago with his wife, Megan, to travel throughout the United States. But films now shot here because of Michigan’s film subsidies have helped them stay put here — and grow the company.

“When the incentives passed, it gave us the opportunity to come back, triple the size of our crew and grow our facility,” he said. “We’re excited to be sleeping in our own beds.”

And what snacks did he have for Clooney?

“Lots of fruits and veggies,” Meganck said. “He’s a healthy guy.”

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