George Clooney is one of the most notorious pranksters in Hollywood. The actor is known for loving a good joke and pulling a good one over his pals and co-workers now and then while on set. But it’s not all fun and games when the prankster becomes the prankee. Matt Damon recently opened up about a practical joke Brad Pitt once played on their pal, and why the result made Clooney the "maddest" they’d ever seen him.
Matt Damon sat down with the titular host of CNN's Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace (which is available to stream with a Max subscription). He was asked about the Michael Clayton star’s infamous pranking habit and whether it’s true that Clooney once took in Damon’s costume daily to convince his co-star that he was gaining weight. Funny enough, the Oppenheimer actor confirmed that the story is valid. After doing so, he also shared an anecdote about Brad Pitt giving the leading man a taste of his own medicine amid production on one of the Ocean's movies:
On Ocean's 12, Brad Pitt sent out letters in Italian to the Italian crew. Now, George [Clooney] had just bought this place in Lake Como. He was very, very proud to be living in Italy a lot of the time, loves the country. He was like Mr. Italy, everybody loved George there. And Brad put this letter out, as if it was from George, or from George’s people, which said, 'Please understand you’re working with Mr. Clooney. You may not look him in the eye at any time. You will not refer to him as George. You may call him only Mr. Clooney or Mr. Ocean.'
George Clooney is famous for his humble attitude and high spirits on set, so this misconception could not have been further from the truth. Still, it's such a hilarious way to get Clooney back for his jokester ways. This coming from Brad Pitt, who has been a victim of many pranks at the hands of his Ocean's co-star, is even funnier. As for how the E.R. alum reacted to the prank? He certainly wasn't happy. Matt Damon continued:
So for a few days, the crew was [averting their eyes] and George, you know George… Cause he’s you know the life of the set, like ‘Hey! How’s everyone doing?’, and he comes in and is like ‘Something’s weird’ and he can’t figure it out. And we were all staying together at his house, and he came home and that’s the maddest I’ve ever seen him because Brad got him. And Brad sat there... [Clooney] just sat there and he goes, ‘Just leave everyone else around me out of it, just come for me!’
It was probably about time the Babylon actor finally turned the tables on his old friend. George Clooney certainly got him back though, as the former Batman actor previously recounted leaving Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle stranded in a haunted house. Clearly, these actors got up to a lot of hijinks while working on Ocean's Twelve, and you get the feeling they had a blast working together and with the rest of the ensemble cast.
George Clooney’s Ocean's co-stars haven't been the only victims of his jokester ways. The Oscar winner once pranked Amy Poehler and Tina Fey by pretending to be Matt Damon and claiming to be upset about a Golden Globes joke they made at his expense. When he was younger, Clooney also went as far as pooping in a litter box so his roommate, Richard Kind, thought it was done by his cat. Damon paid homage to the classic Clooney moment while honoring the actor at the Kennedy Center.
Clearly there are no limits when it comes to escapades initiated by the Ticket to Paradise star, and I think he probably has more jokes coming his way. Brad Pitt took some of the power back on the Ocean's set, but I think that because so much time has passed, he’s due for another. They're reuniting for a new Apple TV+ movie called Wolves, and I’m sure we will get even more great behind-the-scenes stories when they eventually do press for the film. I'm eager to hear about any prank-filled antics that might've ensued.
You can catch Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and George Clooney participating in on-screen shenanigans in the original Ocean's trilogy, which are all available to rent on Prime Video. Fans can also catch Damon in his latest film, Oppenheimer, which is currently playing in theaters around the country. For more information on other films heading to cinemas and streaming, make sure to consult our schedule of 2023 new movie releases.
