'Monuments Men' Poster Proves How Nice Clooney Is

Poor Robert Crowley, Earl of Grantham. So used to being front and center on his own series, Downton Abbey, the actor who plays him, Hugh Bonneville, is relegated to not second, not third, but fourth banana on the poster for George Clooney's The Monument Men. Seems the war really did set things back for the residents of Downton.

Of course, that's not the big story about The Monuments Men poster, though. The fact that it's Matt Damon, and not actor-director Clooney, taking center stage is much more interesting. Though Damon's film history is nothing to sniff at, some of his recent titles, Elysium excepted, didn't quite help him add up to the matinee idol Clooney has developed into. (We Bought a Zoo, anyone?) But Clooney, graciously forgoing his spot as leading man for his co-star, is a bit like Bradley Cooper scoring Sexiest Man Alive over Ryan Gosling — we think it's sweet and we like the dude and all, but something's just not right.

But, interestingly enough, Clooney still gets top-billing for the film — about a group of soldiers directed to salvage classic art before Adolf Hitler destroyed it during World War II — despite his placement on the poster. So, yes, despite your efforts, Clooney, we still know who the star is — and the fact that tiny little Bob Balaban isn't.

See the poster for Dec. 18's Monuments Men below, and watch the trailer here!

Images: Columbia Pictures