George Clooney and the cast of his “The Monuments Men” — about a band of unlikely World War II soldiers sent to save Europe’s great art — took aim at each other at the Ziegfeld.
Notorious practical joker Clooney told us of co-star Matt Damon, “[He was] usually drunk, so we had somebody on the set all the time to make sure he stayed sober.” But he added, “I’ve done six films with him and he’s absolutely the best.”
Then co-star and “Downtown Abbey” aristocrat Hugh Bonneville separately cracked of Clooney as a director: “It was a nightmare. I had to teach him a lot. Like when the camera’s over there, you try not to put your back to it. Things like that. The lens cap is for removal before filming starts. But he’s catching up. He’s learning, he’s sweet.”
Enigmatic Bill Murray arrived with a mysterious bloody gash on his head, but was silent about its origins.
The premiere of the real-life drama about art looted by the Nazis was hosted by gallerist Larry Gagosian and attracted a crowd not usually seen at Hollywood movie events.
Top artists Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Thomas Houseago and Marina Abramovic — and billionaire collectors Stephen Schwarzman and Leon Black — mixed with Anna Wintour, Sofia Coppola, Barry Levinson, Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton.