Don Cheadle's co-stars from “Ocean's Twelve” used Brad Pitt to avoid paparazzi

During filming Ocean's Twelve In Italy, Don Cheadle and his co-stars developed a unique method to evade paparazzi, which Boogie Nights Star recalled a recent episode of Conan O'Brien needs a friend.

“When we were in Italy, where we shot the second part, we had a whole floor of a hotel. We kind of had to, because, I mean, 'paparazzi' is an Italian word,” joked Cheadle. “If the paparazzi came, I'd be with George or Matt or something and we'd be like, 'Look, there's Brad!' and they'd all just,” and Cheadle makes a hissing gesture. “'Is that Brad?!'”

Ocean's Twelve came out in 2004 — around the time when Brad Pitt was arguably at the height of his superstardom and status as an international heartthrob. Cheadle, George Clooney, Matt Damon and their other co-stars were no joke compared to Pitt, but few things can match the fiery power of a leading man in his romantic prime.

Cheadle said Pitt has reached a level of fame that is simply unimaginable for most people. “I can still just walk around,” he said. “I don't get too rattled. Someone will say something or I know someone will recognize me, but most of the time I'm unobtrusive – I don't think Brad can do that.”

“He has nowhere to go,” Cheadle said. Host Conan O'Brien agreed, saying, “I think you're talking about something completely different… I get 'Hey Conan!' or 'Conan, not a fan,' I get some version of that, and it's very friendly and they know me as myself. It's not The,” he said, referring to Pitt's claustrophobic level of super-fame.

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Pitt had worked relatively unnoticed in the late 1980s, for example as a guest star in series such as Growing pains And Dallasbefore being catapulted to star of the week for his brief role as a cowboy hitchhiker in 1991's The Hunk-of-the-Week. Thelma and Louise. The 90s bore the fruits of his hard work and more, with leading roles in hits such as Se7en, Fight ClubAnd Interview with a vampire and became Hollywood's leading man among leading men.

As Steven Soderbergh's ocean When the franchise came out, Pitt outperformed all of his ensemble castmates, with the exception of perhaps Clooney.

“It's tough,” Cheadle said. “People say, 'Well, what did you expect?' They think that's the contract: 'I should go up to you, put my hat on your head and take your picture. What's going on? I paid for it.' 'No, no. I did it and you paid for it and we shook hands and now I'm just a human being out here.'”

Pitt has dealt with stalkers and crazed fans in the past, steep downsides that come with a level of fame that “you can't predict. You've seen it,” he argues, “but you never think, 'It's not going to be me. I don't have to do maneuvers to get out of traffic because everyone's trying to stalk me.' But yeah, like, Sometimes.”

Cheadle began his career around the same time as Pitt and Clooney, in the mid-to-late 80s, and has had a uniquely varied career, starring in bold writing projects (Bulworth, Things Behind the Sun), directed by some of the country's best filmmakers (Brian De Palma, Paul Thomas Anderson, John Singleton), indulged in a lot of kitsch (volcano) and has entered the fourth decade of his career with a permanent role as James Rhodes/War Machine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.