MADRID ground to a halt yesterday (Tuesday) with traffic jams building up in a central street which was down to one lane – for much more unusual reasons than roadworks or rush hour.
George Clooney was riding a bike the wrong way down the road.
Hundreds of drivers slowed down to get a look whilst pedestrians gathered to snap pictures on their phones as the actor pedalled along the C/ Velázquez in the up-market Salamanca neighbourhood, in full view of five or six paparazzi and a team of 145 members of a production crew.
He was heading to number 39 of the street, where the Nespresso shop is based, to film a new TV advert there with actress Brie Larsson.
Chaos ensued on the pavements, since the section on one side of the road between C/ Goya and C/ Hermosilla was closed off, but the other was not – and the dense watching crowds refused to disperse at the request of the production team because they said they had 'every right' to be there.
Those who had arrived a few seconds later asked the camera crew whom they were filming, but team refused to tell them.
In a bid to calm the furore, when word spread that it was George Clooney, the crew said it was not really the actor but a 'double'.
They then shut off the street with a huge black canvas so nobody could see what was happening.
One local resident who works nearby said: “There was an incredible blockage, the whole of the Salamanca district was rammed.”
George Clooney is becoming almost as well-known for his Nespresso adverts as for his film career – he has 'starred' in these alongside a string of actors, including John Malkovich, Danny DeVito and Natalie Dormer.
According to Business Insider, Clooney earns an eye-watering €23,000 an hour for his presence on the Nespresso commercials.
He is no stranger to Spain when it comes to the big or small screen – early in August, he was spotted in Tenerife scouting for locations for his next film, Good Morning, Midnight, including the Teide National Park and the Canarian Astrophysics Institute (IAC), as well as being seen dining in the restaurant El Coto de Antonio in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Good Morning, Midnight is directed by Clooney, who also plays the lead rôle, and will be produced for Netflix.
Filming starts in October, so it is likely the actor will be seen in Spain for a third time in as many months.
Clooney's latest Nespresso co-star, Brie Larsson, played the lead parts in two of this year's highest-grossing productions – Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame.
She won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA in 2015 for her part in The Room.
