Clooney: 'Perfect' Pitch

By Stephen M. Silverman

08/31/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

George Clooney, nervous? "I'm a little apprehensive," he told PEOPLE at last night's Gloucester, Mass., premiere of his new movie "The Perfect Storm." "There was a responsibility we had to the families. There are some tough parts to watch," Clooney (who also happens to be named the country's No. 1 most eligible bachelor by PEOPLE this week) said before last night's screening. "It's not like the Titanic that went down 90 years ago." The movie, which is set in the blue-collar, seacoast town, is based on author Sebastian Junger's bestseller about six fishermen who were lost at sea during a real-life freak storm in 1991. The premiere drew the film's stars, as well as 1,600 locals, who paid $150 a ticket. Costar Mark Wahlberg, who grew up in the Boston area (and has just been signed to star in Tim Burton's remake of "The Planet of the Apes"), told PEOPLE that he felt a strong connection to "The Perfect Storm." "I think it was really a tribute to the fishermen," he said, adding that doing the movie "was my responsibility to the (fishermen's) families."

• For complete PEOPLE coverage of George Clooney and America's 100 Most Eligible Bachelors, click here.