Several hundred journalists packed the Grand Ballroom of The Dorchester today for a press panel for Fantastic Mr. Fox, which kicks off the 53rd BFI London Film Festival later this evening. Here are nine things we took away from our shared time with George Clooney, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Wes Anderson, Jarvis Cocker, and others:
9. From the very beginning, George Clooney had his own doubts as to whether or not the film would find an audience.
"I remember reading this script and saying to Wes, 'I love it and I'm thrilled and happy to do this,'" Clooney said. "'But I don't know who'll see it, because it's OK for grownups and it's OK for kids, and you never really know how that's going to play.' And he said, 'Don't worry about it. Let's go make the movie and have some fun.' And I thought that's a great way to make a movie."
8. He also hasn't completely ruled out borrowing some of Brad Pitt's kids.
Asked if his parts in films like Up in the Air and Fox -- in which he plays immature men forced to face the music, grow up and settle down -- would perhaps influence his own perennial bachelorhood, Clooney assured the crowd that no Little Clooneys are on the horizon. "Maybe I'll adopt some of Brad Pitt's kids," he added. "I owe him a few. Well, thank you for that question, and I will now have to consider some of the jobs I was going to play, [like] Peter Pan."
7. There aren't that many fantastically fox-like-things about the man who plays Mr. Fox.
Besides being "foxy," a female reporter cooed, was Clooney hiding any other foxlike attributes? "I try to daily wax. And... let's see... I seem to be taller than this character."
6. Wes Anderson had a different, dead actor in mind for his lead.
"Sometimes when I'm writing a script I have an actor in mind," Anderson explained. "In this one, we were just thinking of animals. As soon as it was done we thought, 'Who'd make a good Mr. Fox?' And I thought Cary Grant would be good."
5. With three films at the London Film Festival, George isn't the hardest working man in showbiz -- just the one with the most crowded release schedule.
"You obviously don't always love to have that many projects coming out at around the same time," he said. "But I'm proud of them all, so I'm happy they're here."
4. Don't expect to emerge from Fantastic Mr. Fox having learned a moral lesson.
Some suggestions as to what the moral of the tale might be:
Clooney: Stealing is good.
Anderson: It's a celebration of stealing.
Clooney: It's honoring thievery...C'mon -- somebody help me out!
Eric Chase Anderson (Wes's brother and the voice of nephew Kristofferson): Be true to your animal nature.
Clooney: 'Be true to your animal nature?' That's your answer? OK, let me try that again: 'Be true to your animal nature.'
3. Wherefore art thou Meryl?
Mrs. Fox, i.e. Meryl Streep, was not on the panel.
2. "Broody" is British slang for "wanting to start a family."
It came up in a question about Clooney's very natural paternal relationship with Jason Schwartzman's character Ash.
1. Bill Murray's "little animal secrets must remain my little animal secrets."
That's what Murray deadpanned to a reporter who asked -- for some unfathomable reason -- if he "channeled" a badger to play the part of Badger. "How I do my nails and everything, that's really my business," he added. "As far as playing a badger, unless you've done it, we can't even have this conversation."
Some video: