George Clooney’s run as a member of the original “ER” cast was a breakout success, but getting to star in one of television’s all-time great medical dramas didn’t come easy for the actor. In fact, Clooney had to fight to play Dr. Doug Ross in the beloved NBC series, as former Warner Bros. Television president Les Moonves supposedly didn’t want to lose him (weird, considering that Moonves was partly involved in the creation of “ER”).
Clooney had a contractual agreement with Warner Bros. at the time, with a recurring role on the WB-produced family drama “Sisters” and offers for other projects, but Clooney was determined to play Doug. “[George] read ‘ER’ and said, ‘No, I really want to do this,'” John Wells, an executive producer on the show, told Television Academy, noting that Clooney was the first person to audition. “Even though it was the second lead, and Les was not enthusiastic about that.”
The audition went well, with former NBC Entertainment president Warren W. Littlefield recalling Clooney’s performance tugging at everyone’s heartstrings as they realized that they’d found their Doug. “You could feel the room, like, grab their heart, people starting to cry, and then this kind of triumphant joy for George because it was so clear in that moment,” said Littlefield. “Like, ‘Oh, my God. You’re a television star.'” So how did Clooney get the gig and become a staple of NBC’s 10 p.m. time slot? According to Wells, Clooney convinced Moonves, but he doesn’t know how he managed it. Moonves, meanwhile, claims that he actually sent the “ER” script to Clooney and set up a meeting with Wells. One thing is certain: “ER” kickstarted Clooney’s career.
Why George Clooney was desperate to be part of ER
George Clooney was a struggling actor before he was cast as Doug Ross on “ER,” and his deal with Warner Bros. involved him bouncing between shows in bit-part roles. His run on “Sisters” saw him become a recurring player, but he wasn’t exactly making the big bucks. While there was interest in promoting him to the role of series regular toward the end, Clooney wasn’t interested in remaining on “Sisters.” In an interview for BAFTA’s “Life in Pictures,” he explained that the series was past its prime, while “ER” gave him the chance to work with some of Hollywood’s finest on something fresh.
“I went in and read, and so I was the first one to get a part of anyone on ‘ER,’ and at the time, it was just a two-hour movie of the week.” explained Clooney. “But it was Steven Spielberg and Michael Crichton [sic], who had just had ‘Jurassic Park’ out that year, and Steven had had ‘Schindler’s List’ also. So I was just excited to be working with those guys.” Clooney also recalled that he didn’t even mind playing second fiddle to actor Anthony Edwards at the time, as he just wanted to be part of the NBC medical drama.
Clooney resisting the urge to turn down other projects for “ER” was the right call, even if convincing certain WB execs to let him do it was an uphill battle. What’s more, the actor has had a pretty successful career since then, wouldn’t you agree?