Director Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 remake of Ocean’s Eleven. As far as I am concerned, and I believe many agree, this is one of the finest heist films in Hollywood. Such an achievement took at least a dozen actors doing a combination of displaying a combination of wonderful performances, including George Clooney and Julia Roberts - not to mention, arguably, the funniest Brad Pitt ever.
Of course, a movie about 11 guys teaming up to rob a casino of unbelievable riches from a scumbag casino owner (Andy Garcia) would have to require a sizable cast and, a star-studded ensemble at that. That was certainly the case for Ocean’s Eleven, and even more so with its sequels, which would feature Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ocean’s Twelve, a villainous Al Pacino in Ocean’s Thirteen, and a brief, hilarious cameo by Bruce Willis as himself in the former.
However, for now, why don’t we just focus on the original line-up and see what they have been up to since pulling off the con of the century? The following are the current whereabouts of the 13 biggest names from Ocean’s Eleven.
George Clooney (Danny Ocean)
Considering the dismal discovery of Danny Ocean's death in Ocean's 8, it looks like George Clooney will never again play the easy-going, charismatic crime boss. Of course, it seems that the Academy Award-winning actor and filmmaker has enough other things going on at the moment, including post-production for the upcoming post-apocalyptic thriller The Midnight Sky, which he stars in and directs, for Netflix and raising twins Alexander and Ella with his wife Amal Clooney. Both famous spouses are praised for their social activism and efforts toward charity, Clooney can easily manage after selling his Casamigos tequila company for $1 billion in 2018.
Brad Pitt (Rusty Ryan)
Like in Ocean's Eleven, Brad Pitt is almost a brother to George Clooney - not for a love of stealing like Rusty Ryan, but for having fatherhood, humanitarianism, and busy schedules behind and in front of the camera in common. Following a more low-key couple of years after his separation from Angelina Jolie, the 56-year-old earned his first Oscar for acting in 2020 for the supporting role of Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood and will return to the screen under David Leitch's direction in Bullet Train. Pitt has been even busier as a producer, backing projects such as Barry Jenkins' The Underground Railroad miniseries and a documentary about late alternative rock star Chris Cornell, to name a few.
Matt Damon (Linus Caldwell)
Another Ocean's Eleven alum who probably chats often with Brad Pitt and George Clooney about humanitarianism and the weight of their Oscars is Matt Damon. The 49-year-old actor supports 37 charities when he is not performing in blockbusters like the Bourne franchise, producing awards contenders like Manchester by the Sea, or retaliating against Jimmy Kimmel for never letting him on his show. Among Damon's biggest upcoming projects are a reunion with The Martian director Ridley Scott and his buddy Ben Affleck (also as screenwriters) for historical drama The Last Duel and producing an HBO movie about a topic near and dear to the Water.org founder's heart, Thirst.
Don Cheadle (Basher Tarr)
Transitioning from a Cockney, criminal tech expert in the Ocean's franchise to the all-American crimefighting best friend of a tech expert in the MCU beautifully was Don Cheadle, who was also recently nominated for a second Emmy as the lead of 1980s-set financial dramedy Black Monday. The Oscar-nominated, 55-year-old has several exciting acting roles on the horizon, including With/In, an anthology of stories inspired by the COVID-19 lockdown, and, supposedly, the villain of the upcoming sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy, opposite LeBron James.
Elliott Gould (Reuben Tishkoff)
One of two Ocean's Eleven cast members to reprise their roles in Ocean's Eight was Elliott Gould, whose career (which includes MASH, his Oscar-nominated role in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, and playing Monica and Ross' dad on Friends) dates back almost far enough that he could have had a role in the 1960 original with Frank Sinatra. Now in his early 80s, Gould was most recently seen in the movie Dangerous Lies and sitcom Grace and Frankie (both Netflix originals). Otherwise, Gould is taking a cue from his role in Steven Soderbergh's Contagion and keeping his distance for the time being.
Casey Affleck (Virgil Malloy)
Casey Affleck was best known as Ben's younger brother when he starred as getaway driver Virgil Malloy in Ocean's Eleven, but has earned a reputation on his own as a unique filmmaker and talented actor. Yet, what would have been the peak of his career also proved to be a low as years-old sexual assault allegations against him began to resurface around the time he won his Best Actor Oscar for Manchester by the Sea. Affleck has since made a conscious effort atone for his "unprofessional" behavior and has been moving forward with his recently announced third directorial effort Far Bright Star and acting in upcoming films The World to Come and Every Breath You Take.
Scott Caan (Turk Malloy)
Starring as Casey Affleck's onscreen older brother in Ocean's Eleven is Scott Caan, who was best known as James' son at the time, but has since proved his own worth as a recurring character on Entourage, starring alongside Bill Murray in 2015's Rock the Kasbah, and especially from his Golden Globe-nominated role as Danny "Danno" Williams on the modern day reboot of Hawaii Five-0. There is nothing forthcoming to report for the actor since the popular CBS crime procedural ended after ten years.
Eddie Jemison (Livingston Dell)
You might not have heard much about Eddie Jemison before he played surveillance specialist Livingston Dell in Ocean's Eleven. Despite how roughly you may be able recognize him, the actor and musician has been in a quite a few things you should easily recognize, including movies like Bruce Almighty, TV series such as Chicago Med, and a few subsequent Steven Soderbergh films. Jemison has already had one film released thus far in 2020 (first-person style action comedy Burning Dog) and has two more (For Prophet and Fluorescent Beast) in the works.
Shaobo Qin (Yen)
The only acting credits in Shaobo Qin's filmography are the Ocean's films, including his killer, uncredited cameo in Ocean's Eight. This is because his role as the Benedict Job's "grease man" Yen is no act as he first gained recognition as a performer from the internationally renowned Peking Acrobats, which is how he was spotted and considered to play the character in the film. There is no word on if he will continue acting outside of the heist franchise, nor if he will continue touring with the Peking acrobats in the future.
Julia Roberts (Tess Ocean)
Steven Soderbergh directed Julia Roberts in an Oscar-winning performance in Erin Brockovich just a year before casting her as Tess, ex-wife of Danny Ocean and new lover of Terry Benedict in Ocean's Eleven. Yet, in the many years before and since then, the mother of three has been a poster girl for Hollywood stardom, leading acclaimed rom-coms like Pretty Woman, crime thrillers like Sleeping with the Enemy, and everything in between. The Homecoming star currently has two projects in pre-production: the dramatic thriller Little Bee and historical series Gaslit, which takes place in the wake of the Watergate scandal.
Andy Garcia (Terry Benedict)
Andy Garcia presents a masterclass in villainy in Ocean's Eleven, especially when you consider that his character, casino owner and heist target Terry Benedict, is the only one truly innocent here and, yet, you are still irresistibly rooting for his defeat. Cuban-born Academy Award-nominee, who was previously cast as Kenan Thompson's father-in-law in the Saturday Night Live star's self-titled sitcom, is bringing his versatility to a large variety of upcoming projects, including a role as a priest in the teen drama Words on the Bathroom Walls, and we will hopefully, one day, see him return to the director's chair with Hemingway and Fuentes.
Bernie Mac (Frank Catton)
We only have our memories of Bernie Mac to look forward to, as he passed away at the age of 50 . Fortunately enough, the beloved comedian and Golden Globe-nominated star of his own self-titled sitcom was able to reprise his Ocean's Eleven role as accomplished blackjack dealer and Benedict Job "inside man" Frank Catton in both of the film's 2004 and 2007 sequels before his death in 2008 due to complications with pneumonia.
Carl Reiner (Saul Bloom)
Even more recently, we lost another Ocean's Eleven alum when Carl Reiner passed away on June 29, 2020, at the age of 98. Long before starring as veteran con man Saul Bloom in the trilogy, he was a seasoned veteran in the world of comedy, from creating The Dick van Dyke Show, directing Steve Martin in The Jerk, and countless other award-winning achievements on the big and small screen. Reiner most recently shared the character of "Grandfather" with his son, Rob Reiner, in a serialized, quarantine-style remake of The Princess Bride.
Be sure to check back for additional information and updates in relation to this modern heist movie classic, as well as even more check-ins with the casts of your favorite movies and TV shows, here on CinemaBlend.
