Ellen Barkin on Staying Young and Hanging With Heartthrobs

September 2024 · 2 minute read

June 4, 2007 — -- After more than 25 years in the business, Ellen Barkin is still one of Hollywood's leading ladies.

The 53-year-old is redefining bombshell, and as the female focus in "Ocean's 13," which opens June 8, she more than holds her own in a sea of men.

On "Good Morning America" today, Barkin talked with ABC's Chris Cuomo about the much-anticipated summer movie and how she manages to eclipse starlets half her age.

Forget late nights of hard partying — sleep is key to Barkin's flawless skin and svelte figure.

"I sleep about 10 hours a night," she said.

Though her past year has been clouded by a bitter divorce from billionaire Ron Perlman, Barkin kept smiling with the help of the "Ocean's 13" actors, including George Clooney, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt.

"I was extremely flattered," she said about being included in the movie.

Barkin joked that things between her and some of the Hollywood heartthrobs got heated on the set.

"I'm single. George Clooney is single. There's no philandering," she said, "but the rest of the cast, definitely, they were philandering with me. All of them."

Though Pitt went after the girl in the previous "Ocean" movies, Damon tries to woo Barkin in the latest installment.

"It's usually Brad that they would send in to get the girl but this is Matt's coming of age and he feels he's capable of doing it," she said.

Though he's not known for cracking as many jokes as Pitt or Clooney, Damon is hilarious, Barkin said, and he may blow his co-stars out of the water.

"[It was] fun doing every scene with him," she said. "He could be the funniest. I mean it's tight and George would hate -- don't hate me, George, please -- he would hate that I said this but he could have just sailed past George in this one, I'm not sure."

With her tall, slender frame and golden locks, Barkin resembles another blonde bombshell and "Good Morning America" favorite: Diane Sawyer. She joked that she'd love to play Sawyer, if only she were younger.

ncG1vNJzZmiZkpi7psPSZ56oZpOkunCTrHpmrKyfp8aAtcN2amtsYWuGdQ%3D%3D