Don Cheadle says his “Ocean’s Twelve ”costars evaded paparazzi by siccing them on Brad Pitt: ‘Look there’s Brad!’

"He can't go anywhere," Cheadle reflected on his uber-famous costar.While filming Ocean's Twelve in Italy, Don Cheadle and his costars developed a unique way of evading paparazzi, the Boogie Nights star recalled on a recent episode of Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend."When we were in Italy where we shot the second one, we had one full floor of a hotel. We kinda had to, because, I mean, 'paparazzi' is an Italian word," Cheadle joked. "If the paparazzi would come, I'd be with George or Matt or something and we'd go, 'Look there’s Brad!' and they'd just all," and Cheadle makes a whooshing gesture. "'Is that Brad?!'"Sean Gallup/Getty Don Cheadle and Brad Pitt in 2004Ocean's Twelve released in 2004 — during what was arguably the peak era of Brad Pitt's superstardom and international heartthrob status. Cheadle, George Clooney, Matt Damon, and their other costars weren't chopped liver compared to Pitt, but few things can touch the white-hot power of a leading man in his romantic prime.Cheadle reflected that Pitt reached a level of fame that's simply unimaginable to most people. "I can still pretty much just go around," he said. "I don't really get bothered that much. Somebody will say something or I'll know somebody will recognize me, but for the most part I am low key — I don't think Brad can be."Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle in 'Ocean's Twelve'"He can't go anywhere," Cheadle said. Host Conan O'Brien agreed, saying, "I think what you're talking about is this whole other... I get, 'Hey Conan!' Or 'Conan, not a fan', I get some version of that, and it's very friendly and they know me as me. It's not that," he said, indicating Pitt's claustrophobic level of superfame.Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.Pitt had worked steadily throughout the late 1980s in relative obscurity, think guest spots on series like Growing Pains and Dallas, before catapulting to hunk-of-the-week status for his brief role as the cowboy hitchhiker in 1991's Thelma & Louise. The ’90s bore the fruit of his hard work and then some, with starring roles in hits like Se7en, Fight Club, and Interview with the Vampire making him into Hollywood's leading man among leading men.By the time Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's franchise came along, Pitt outranked all of his ensemble castmates, with the possible exception of Clooney.Related: Matt Damon says Danny Ocean would never let the 'two knuckleheads' from Instigators into Ocean's 11 crew"It's hard," Cheadle reflected. "People are like, 'Well, what did you expect?' They think that's the contract: 'I should get to walk up to you and put my hat on your head and go take a picture. What's wrong? I paid for this.' 'Well no. I did that thing, and you paid for that thing and we shook hands, and now I'm just a person out here, too.'"Pitt has dealt with stalkers and crazed fans in the past, steep downsides that come with a level of fame that "You can't anticipate. You've seen it," he reasons, "but you never think, 'It's not going to be me I'm not gonna have to do maneuvers to get out of traffic because everyone's trying to chase me.' But yeah, like, sometimes."Related: Ocean's 8 steals a mixed bag of reviews: Here's what critics are sayingFrazer Harrison/Getty Images file Don CheadleCheadle got his start around the same time as Pitt and Clooney, in the mid-to-late ’80s, and has had a uniquely varied career. He's starred in bold auteur projects (Bulworth, Things Behind the Sun), been directed by some of the country's finest filmmakers (Brian De Palma, Paul Thomas Anderson, John Singleton), indulged in his fair share of cheese (Volcano) and has coasted into the fourth decade of his career with a steady part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as James Rhodes/War Machine.Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.