Such crowd scenes have been common over the last two months since Clooney began scouting locations and then filming the first movie he has made in the region, where he grew up. Clooney acts in and directs "The Ides of March," about a presidential campaign, and the filming around town has become a dominant topic, with folks sharing tweets and photos of Clooney sightings and hanging around outside the sets. A casting call for 1,500 extras drew 23,000 responses.

Film buff Lauren Wendling said she enjoyed the chance to see the behind-the-scenes work on Clooney's new movie. "He's a hometown star, and it's great to see someone from here who is so successful," said Wendling, who works in finance. "It's a great experience for people who don't live in Louisiana to just see how a movie is made."

Crewmembers asked fans to be still whenever filming began, and their requests were consistently met with a hush. "It's been fine," movie publicist Tracey Schaefer said of the crowds. People have been very respectful of the boundaries.