Toronto 2011: George Clooney's Ides of March a Morality Tale

TORONTO -- George Clooney’s message in Ides of March may be American backroom politics corrupts absolutely.

our editor recommends

'Ides of March': First Poster With Ryan Gosling, George Clooney

'The Ides of March': George Clooney, Ryan Gosling Play Politics in New Trailer (Video)

But the Hollywood actor told a Toronto International Film Festival press conference Friday that his latest picture is more morality tale than political.

“I didn’t think of this as a political film. I think it’s a film about moral choices and that doesn’t have any political stripes,” Clooney said when pressed about his own political stripes and aspirations.

Ides of March, which opened Venice, features Clooney as a presidential hopeful in constant conflict with his ruthlessly idealistic and ambitious press secretary, played by Canadian actor Ryan Gosling.

“Everyone makes moral choices that better themselves and hurt someone along the way. It could have been literally in Wall Street. It could have been better in Wall Street. That was my point,” Clooney argued.

Ides of March doesn’t even reflect the sordid John Edwards saga, Clooney insisted, because he co-wrote the script with his Smoke House Pictures partner Grant Heslov before the true-life presidential hopeful flamed out.

Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei and Philip Seymour Hoffman also star in the movie, which opens Oct. 7 via Sony Pictures Entertainment.