George Clooney is latest star to be interviewed for BAFTA’s A Life In Pictures

George Clooney is the latest star to be interviewed for BAFTA’s A Life In Pictures. 

The actor, who turns 60 this spring, recorded the interview virtually in London and joins the likes of Viola Davis, Nicole Kidman, Ridley Scott, Hugh Grant, Quentin Tarantino and Keira Knightley, who have been featured in the past.

BAFTA’s A Life In Pictures sees stars of the screen sit down with an interviewer from the Academy and discuss their careers at length, with George’s set to be broadcast on BAFTA YouTube Channels at midday on Monday 18 Jan.

Man of the hour: George Clooney is the latest star to be interviewed for BAFTA’s A Life In Pictures

George is expected to chat about his credits, which include the likes of Burn After Reading, The Men Who Stare At Goats, Up In The Air, The Ides Of March and Gravity.

He has also directed seven films between 2002-2020, writing some of them too.

His latest – The Midnight Sky – is set to become one of Netflix’s most-watched overall films, with Deadline reporting at the end of 2020 that it had been viewed by a projected 72 million households during its first four weeks of release.

Oscar-winner George also stars in the film – which was also Netflix’s biggest theatrical release of the year, as it played on hundreds of screens in 16 different countries worldwide.

Star: The actor, who turns 60 this spring, recorded the interview virtually in London

Star: The actor, who turns 60 this spring, recorded the interview virtually in London

Elite: He joins the likes of Viola Davis, Nicole Kidman, Ridley Scott, Hugh Grant, Quentin Tarantino and Keira Knightley, who have been featured in the past

Elite: He joins the likes of Viola Davis, Nicole Kidman, Ridley Scott, Hugh Grant, Quentin Tarantino and Keira Knightley, who have been featured in the past

Chat: BAFTA's A Life In Pictures sees stars of the screen sit down with an interviewer from the Academy and discuss their careers at length

Chat: BAFTA’s A Life In Pictures sees stars of the screen sit down with an interviewer from the Academy and discuss their careers at length

Soon: George's set to be broadcast on BAFTA YouTube Channels at midday on Monday 18 Jan

Soon: George’s set to be broadcast on BAFTA YouTube Channels at midday on Monday 18 Jan

In terms of streaming, the media company confirmed that The Midnight Sky attained the top spot for content in 77 countries and has reached the top ten list in 93 countries overall. 

The science fiction picture was based off of the 2016 novel of the same name, written by novelist Lily Brooks-Dalton.

The plot follows a research scientist who takes a young girl on a trip through the Arctic Circle in order to warn a potentially returning spaceship not to return to Earth, which has undergone a cataclysmic event. 

Stalwart: BAFTA's A Life In Pictures sees stars of the screen sit down with an interviewer from the Academy and discuss their careers

Stalwart: BAFTA’s A Life In Pictures sees stars of the screen sit down with an interviewer from the Academy and discuss their careers

Finishing strong: George's film The Midnight Sky is slated to become one of Netflix's overall most-watched titles

Finishing strong: George’s film The Midnight Sky is slated to become one of Netflix’s overall most-watched titles

In addition to Clooney, the picture also stars Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo and Demian Bichir in supporting roles.

Development on the project was announced in June of 2019 and filming began in October of that year, with production wrapping the following February. 

Due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, The Midnight Sky was given a limited theatrical release beginning on December 11th.

The movie’s wide release on Netflix occurred a few weeks afterwards on December 23rd. 

Dual roles: Clooney served as both the leading actor and director of the film; he is seen on set with David Oyelowo and Tiffany Boone in 2019

Dual roles: Clooney served as both the leading actor and director of the film; he is seen on set with David Oyelowo and Tiffany Boone in 2019

Big and small screens: The Midnight Sky was given separate theatrical and home releases

Big and small screens: The Midnight Sky was given separate theatrical and home releases

In an interview with Variety, Clooney spoke about the difficulties of directing a motion picture in a particularly harsh environment; the film was shot in England and Iceland, often in below-zero temperatures. 

‘First and foremost, you have to be really, really prepared… We get in a scene, and all of a sudden, it’s too sunny or too nice. Or then we get there, and it wasn’t nice enough. I’ve been doing it long enough now that it’s not as complicated as it feels,’ he stated.

The 59-year-old also noted that he wanted the film to feel timely and to cover a wide range of subjects under the guise of a sci-fi story.

Heavy duty work: Clooney spoke to Variety about filming in harsh environments, stating that 'you have to be really, really prepared'; he is pictured in 2018

Heavy duty work: Clooney spoke to Variety about filming in harsh environments, stating that ‘you have to be really, really prepared’; he is pictured in 2018

He said: ‘I wanted it to deal with things we’re all dealing with today: the denying of science, playing out anger, hatred, and divisions in between the people of the United States, but also divisions that play out in other countries.’ 

Clooney also spoke about how his status as a parents influenced both the writing of the screenplay and his performance in multiple different scenes.

‘There’s a part of this film that is about isolation and our ability to communicate, and our inability to be near the people we love. And that is a very specific example of taking away and losing something you care deeply about,’ the actor opined.