Drugs. (Laughing) I find that’s the quickest way. Sure, there are other ways, but that just handles it. No, this movie was book-ended by another film I was doing – “Crash.” I think the Friday that I finished shooting on “Crash,” Monday I was on a plane to Africa. I went to Africa, finished there, and came back and three days later had to finish shooting “Crash.” Then 10 days after that I was on a plane to Chicago doing “Ocean’s 12.” So there wasn’t really time. The work kind of decompressed it. I had to shift really fast and it was just like I had to do it.
This is such a gut-wrenching experience and you know it’s true, even though it’s a movie. To go from that to the ultimate fluff in “Ocean’s 12” – was that a relief? And you also had “After the Sunset” squeezed in there somewhere.
“After the Sunset” was first. It was “After the Sunset,” then a week and a half or two weeks later I started “Crash.” Then I did “Hotel Rwanda” and then I finished “Crash” and did “Ocean’s 12.”
If it weren’t all of my friends again, and if it wasn’t really a reunion of sorts that was such a joyous reunion to just be back with those guys and play with them, and go on a whole other trip of, “Now we’re going to Amsterdam”… We were in Amsterdam for five days and then we went to Paris and then we went to Italy. It never stopped. I didn’t have time to be reflective. Then I had to work again. I hate that. I was the only one who had to work on “Ocean’s 12” (laughing) because I had to do this dialect that f***ing killed me. It’s like, “You guys are all sitting out here playing around, and I’ve got to go how does he sound? Who is this guy?” I had all this stuff to do again.
Did “Hotel Rwanda” stay with you?
It absolutely stayed with me but I had to go to work. I didn’t have the luxury. It stayed with me now to the degree and it’s all coming back around now that it’s out. Since it’s about to come out and we’re doing all this press.
You always stand out in these ensemble films. Why are the leading roles so hard to find?
That’s a studio question (laughing). There just haven’t been a lot that I either A) have been attracted to or B) was able to get. That they weren’t looking for an A-List actor from whatever category to put in there. It hasn’t been from lack of trying, I assure you that. But most scripts are terrible. Most projects are bad, that’s just kind of the way it is. And I’m not really attracted to those.
Are you going to take a break at this point?
I’m kind of on a break now, you know? We finished “Ocean’s” in July. Right after “Ocean’s” was over I went to Lake Como with my family and went to George’s spot, which is ridiculous, and just hung out there. We were even there after he left (laughing). My family was still there. [We were] the houseguests who wouldn’t leave (laughing). He’s so great… George is the best. He’s like, “Here’s the car keys. Here’s the motorcycle keys. Here’s the boat keys. Just have a ball and lock up when you leave. Stay as long as you want. I’m not going to be there – stay as long as you want.”
What’s his place like?
It’s not huge. Well, what do you call huge? It’s seven acres (laughing). I don’t know, I didn’t measure it. It’s sizeable. It’s a nice house with a lot of rooms. He’s got a gym and a little screening room downstairs. It was great, it was just great. It’s on a beautiful lake and there’s a huge haunted house across the way. I mean, it dwarves his place. It’s just a huge, empty place that I think was built some time in the 1800s, I think.
Did you explore it?
We did. We were all going to go over to the haunted house and George was saying it’s a $10,000 bet to whoever will spend the night in there by themselves. So it’s like, “I’ll do it.” And everyone was like, “I’ll do it.” Then they went by it and it’s like, “There’s no f***ing way I’m spending the night there, but I will go in it.” So one night we were all up drinking wine. It was midnight and it was the witching hour and I said, “I’m going to get in a little skiff and go over there. Who’s going to go?” And Brad was like, “Well, if you go I’ll go.” Then Eddie Jemison was like, “Well, I’ll go if you guys go.” So Brad, me and Eddie and his wife went over at midnight and explored the haunted mansion. And Brad was killed (laughing). The Brad you see now, that’s not Brad. Brad was killed. Look in the eyes, there’s a deadness. There’s a deadness (laughing).
So how do you feel about “Ocean’s 12?”
Better than “Ocean’s 11.” I think it’s a lot better than “Ocean’s 11.” I had a ball. It’s a lot more cinematic. It’s a lot more Technicolor. I think that Steven [Soderbergh’s] brilliant because he could have just tried to do the first one again, but he’s too smart and artistic for that.
How do you feel about the buzz over your performance in “Hotel Rwanda?”
There’s buzz? Keep it buzzing.
