Video: George Clooney at the 2006 Oscars

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Oscars Flashback '06: Clooney the Conman

By ROBERT PACE February 13, 2013

While acting worked out well for him, George Clooney could have been a successful salesman (or conman) if he'd chosen to be. After winning his first Oscar, the charming, smooth-talking actor demonstrates his commanding persuasion on ET's correspondent.

At the 2006 Oscars, Clooney was up for his first Oscar for his supporting role in the political thriller Syriana, which he won.

Before celebrating at the post-show Governors Ball, he stops to talk with ET's former correspondent Jann Carl, on whom he exhibits the same persuasive technique that won him the Oscar that he held in his hand.

"Listen, we have to go. Sorry. Can't talk," Clooney quickly utters to Mrs. Carl, giving her the impression that he won't be able to do an interview with her.

She takes the bait of Clooney's convincingly executed prank, which gives him and his conspiring aide a laugh.


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The ever-confident Clooney reveals that he felt like he was the one who was conned when he heard his name called as the recipient of the Best Supporting Actor award. The first-time Oscar-winner divulges that he hesitated to believe it was reality.

"You're not quite sure that you're supposed to go up there," he says. "You're just going, 'Are you sure I'm going up now?' ... 'cause I wasn't quite sure what to say or what to do."

Clooney had also been nominated for two other Oscars that night for directing and writing Good Night, and Good Luck, both which he didn't win.

However, he has maintained a steady pattern of Oscar nominations since receiving his first that year and has been nominated for an award every other year since then for Best Actor (2008: Michael Clayton, 2010: Up in the Air, 2012: The Descendants).

In his off-year for Best Actor this year, Clooney is nominated as a producer on another political thriller: Argo.