Sandra Bullock, George Clooney talk 'Our Brand Is Crisis'

Whenever Sandra Bullock or George Clooney participate in a news conference, it's like watching an amusing comedy sketch.

When they take the stage together, it's more like watching Stiller and Meara or Nichols and May.

The two megastars have known each other for so long they have an easygoing camaraderie, finish each others punch lines and are such seasoned pros at this, they basically don't give a damn.

They mock dumb reporter questions, the entire news conference process, each other, themselves and sometimes their movies.

They were at the Toronto International Film Festival last month for "Our Brand Is Crisis" (Sandra stars, George is a producer with his producing partner Grant Heslov) and producer Clooney was content to let star Bullock do most of the heavy lifting at the festival news conference.

"We're shedding a light on a small slice of the world of politics," Bullock said of the film, in which she plays a political campaign specialist sent to a South American country to help sway the country's political process.

Bullock said, "There was not a lot of hesitation," when she took the role, which was originally written for a man.

"I loved how complex and human she was," she said.

Additionally, the thought of working with Clooney and Heslov in Bolivia was appealing.

"We've known each other since a couple years out of college," Bullock said. "The nice thing is we still like and admire each other. We disagree well."

"We fight fair," Clooney said, the opposite of the political consultants in his movie.

"And," Bullock added, "I look at things now like 'What do I want to leave behind for my son.' "

So no more "Speed"?

Bullock shrugged, silently acknowledging it would be a big loss to cinema. "I do bus like nobody else," she said.

Clooney, who's always had an affinity for politics said that he and Heslov came to the project naturally.

"Grant and I were camera operators on 'K Street' [Clooney also was an executive producer on this fictionalized but reality-based, 2003 HBO series], and we shared an office with Carville, Matalin, etc. We had a very good idea how the sausage was made.

"Grant and I gravitate toward things that are hard to get made. We're not really looking at this as a political statement - it's about packaging and selling."

"Every year our access to info is expanded," Bullock said. "It's scary . . . we have to sift through and educate ourselves."

Heslov said he and Clooney first got the script for "Crisis" in 2005, but they were busy making other movies.

"We did nothing to tailor it to the current political climate," he said.

"Trump at 30 percent works out very well for the film but we're not that good," Clooney said. "That's bad for the country. Good for the movie."

A few unrelated tidbits from the news conference:

* Asked about finding roles as a woman of a certain age, Bullock replied, "There's this explosion of product [featuring women] on cable, Netflix, etc."

"We're going to do '12 Angry Women,' " joked Clooney.

"We're all going to be on the same cycle," Bullock shot back.

* Asked about her Oscar chances (Toronto press is obsessed with Oscar chances), Bullock said, "I would definitely vote for myself even if I wasn't nominated."

She laughed, adding, "There's not that competitiveness that people wish there was."

* Asked about how actors are viewed by the public, Bullock stressed that people are complicated, not always as they appear.

"In about four hours I'll go back to my real job which is being a mom," she said.

"I don't look at you as just the press," she added. "I hope that when you leave here you're something besides vultures trying to suck the life out of us."