![i-966dc14222d9348a46a3ca5231b2664f-kirn.jpg](https://paw.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/styles/feature_image/public/images/content/i-966dc14222d9348a46a3ca5231b2664f-kirn_5.jpg?itok=rpFdpCa6)
Those who have followed Kirn's career may recall that he has some sour memories of his days as a Princeton undergraduate (most vividly described in his 2009 memoir Lost in the Meritocracy). But PAW's Tiger of the Week is designed to honor noteworthy alumni; love of alma mater is not a prerequisite.
Reitman and colleague Sheldon Turner wrote the screenplay for Up in the Air, and Kirn spent time on the set in a consulting role. That opened the door for another role -- an on-screen cameo in which the author portrays one of Clooney's business associates.
"That was a worst-case scenario for me in which I had to sit next to George Clooney, providing an objective comparison between our faces for my own girlfriend," Kirn joked in the Studio 360 interview. "I never want to appear on screen again."
Read about other alumni books that have become movies in PAW's online feature From printed page to silver screen.
Do you have a nominee for Tiger of the Week? Let us know. All alumni qualify. PAW's Tiger of the Week is selected by our staff, with help from readers like you.