Behind the Scenes With George Clooney

ByABC News
April 27, 2006, 5:40 PM

April 27, 2006 — -- Washington, D.C., is a city steeped in anti-glamour. In this town, picking up your morning coffee alongside a newspaper columnist qualifies as a celebrity sighting, and the best restaurant tables are saved for senators. So when a bona fide movie star comes to town, it is a big deal.

That was the case this afternoon when George Clooney swept into a packed National Press Club to urge Americans to pay attention to the humantarian crisis in the Sudan. Actually, today felt like the kickoff to an entire Week of Clooney, to be capped by his rumored appearance at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday night, otherwise known as Washington's Prom.

Correctly assuming that I, like most other women in America, have a massive crush on George Clooney, my kind bosses arranged for me to play a role in the interview our show had scheduled with him (to air Sunday on This Week with George Stephanopoulos). These bosses have worked in television long enough to know there is nothing worse than tagging along on a shoot without having a purpose for being there. So they thrust a DV camera into my hands to get additional footage for the web, and off I went.

So what did I capture? Not much more than my own overwhelming enthusiasm. The camera's more than a little shaky as I take it all in: George Clooney waving at my camera as he walks into the room! George Clooney introducing himself to me! (Actually, you can't actually see that since I almost dropped the camera in order to extend my arm out to his.) George Clooney looking over his shoulder at me and telling me he really likes Sen. Barack Obama! George Clooney looking at me again to say goodbye after the interview!

Afterwards, I swooned, I giggled, I breathlessly recreated the afternoon's events for my co-workers. It was, like the best love affairs, thrilling but fleeting. But at least I have it on tape.