Clooney: 'Clayton' dilemma could happen

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Hollywood actor George Clooney said his Oscar-nominated legal thriller "Michael Clayton" is a human story that could conceivably take place in other settings.

In the film, which is up for seven Academy Awards, Clooney plays a "fixer" for a corporate law firm who finds himself confronted with a serious moral dilemma.

"You could take these characters and this story and you could put it into a medical drama or you could put it into a government drama," Clooney recently said in Los Angeles.

"The truth is, this is about flawed individuals, one of whom sort of comes to the realization that he is looking for redemption, which is always sort of interesting, and decisions that are made based on your own sort of self-interest, and at what point you keep moving that line of morality forward," the actor said. "The reason we do (these kinds of films) is because we do suspect corporate America, and with good reason. ... And we do suspect sort of problems at times in law firms. All of those things are very real, so I think that's why it sort of resonated with me."

Clooney is nominated for a best actor Oscar for his performance in the film's title role.