George Clooney took a moment to comment on the passing of his “Ides of March” co-star Philip Seymour Hoffman before Tuesday night’s world premiere of “The Monuments Men” at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York.
Clooney, who directed and stars in “Men,” paid tribute to Hoffman, who died from an apparent drug overdose February 2 in New York.
“I wanted to start by saying it’s very odd to be here in New York, particularly a couple of days after a good friend of ours has passed away,” Clooney said, according to the Huffington Post. “It makes it difficult, and I think it’s the elephant in the room for a lot of us here.”
Clooney directed Hoffman in 2011’s “The Ides of March,” and several “Men” stars in attendance had also worked with Hoffman in the past.
“It’s senseless and it’s sad. But Phil will be greatly missed,” Clooney added. “It’s hard to be here tonight with that weighing over us. I just wanted to say that.”
“The Monuments Men,” which also stars Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin and John Goodman, opens February 7.