‘Ticket to Paradise’: Indonesian Actor Maxime Bouttier Reveals What It Was Like to Work With George Clooney and Julia Roberts
Ticket to Paradise opens in theaters in North America this weekend. The dazzling star power of George Clooney and Julia Roberts is sure to bring in crowds. One of their co-stars, Maxime Bouttier, had never been in a Hollywood big-budget movie. He was thrilled to be a part of it, and he took advantage of the moment.
‘Ticket to Paradise’ reunites George Clooney and Julia Roberts
The colorful rom-com brings Roberts and Clooney back together for the first time since 2016’s Money Monster. Although this type of movie made her famous, this is the first time Roberts has returned to the genre in several years.
Collider reports that the movie is about two people, David (played by Clooney) and Georgia (played by Roberts), who have been divorced for several years. They are forced to spend time together when their daughter announces she’s getting married.
Unfortunately, the couple still harbors a lot of animosity toward each other. To make it worse, their daughter is marrying a man she only met a few weeks ago, and they think it’s a terrible idea.
The wedding is set in Bali, where the happy couple met. Kaitlyn Dever plays the bride, Lily, and Bouttier plays Gede, the groom. Although the movie takes place in Bali, filming occurred in Queensland, Australia.
Maxime Bouttier’s ‘Ticket to Paradise’ experience
Although the movie wasn’t actually filmed in Bali, it does have an authentic touch in Bouttier, who is from Indonesia. According to Wion News, he’s new to Hollywood, and being a part of Ticket to Paradise was a big learning experience for him. Just working with his famous co-stars was like a lesson in acting.
“I was just observing,” he said. “The stuff that they were doing was so good you could take it in subconsciously. Hopefully, I will use them again in the future if I ever do another one.”
Bouttier was too intimidated to ask for advice, but Clooney didn’t mind giving the younger actor some pointers.
“But I guess there was this one time when George told me, in this scene, ‘You could do this’ because he is a director as well, he kind of directed me a little bit, so yeah I think that would count as advice.”
‘It’s because of us you got it’
In 2021, Bouttier was contacted by his manager, telling him there was an opportunity for an Indonesian actor to play someone from Bali. He managed to get the audition, boosted by the fact that he’s comfortable speaking English.
When he was notified that the got the part, he had some important people to thank.
“I was so excited when I got the call,” he said. “When I got the audition call I had told my friends that I was auditioning for a George Clooney and Julia Roberts movie. They were really hoping that I get it and when I got it they were like ‘We knew you would get it, it’s because of us you got it.'”
Ticket to Paradise is expected to do quite well in theaters. According to Box Office Pro, it’s already brought in $72.6 million globally with its staggered release outside North America. As it opens this weekend in this part of the world, it’s projected to bring in 10 to 15 million dollars in its first weekend alone.
Many people will be lining up to see the experienced and well-matched A-listers Roberts and Clooney in another movie. But part of its success also rides on the shoulders of a brand-new star.
