How George Clooney Helped Vera Farmiga Get Higher

George Clooney may not be in Vera Farmiga's directorial debut, Higher Ground, but he definitely had some influence on set.

Farmiga said she couldn't help but learn from Clooney when they were making Up In the Air. Sure, Clooney didn't direct the hit airport dramedy, but...

"The things I learned from George are life lessons," Farmiga told me the other day while promoting Higher Ground (in theaters today), a drama about an ultra-religious Christian couple (Farmiga and Joshua Leonard) whose marriage unravels as the wife begins to question her faith. "He knows how to operate on a set. He's so unselfish. He's a goofball and he's so affectionate with the crew and loving and nurturing."

He never pulls any diva shenanigans. "He doesn't hang out in his trailer and escape between shots," Farmiga said. "He's present and he's engaging. He makes you feel like you're the most important person in the room. He's truly invested and curious about who you are. That's rare for a movie star."

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