By all accounts, George Clooney is one of the best actors of his generation and one of the most accomplished stars in the history of Hollywood. Clooney’s wave of success began in earnest in the ‘90s, when he landed the role of Dr. Doug Ross on NBC’s ER, which became a success. However, before taking on the role of the noble and suave medical practitioner, Clooney had to pay his dues and that meant experiencing his share of failures. The fan-favorite actor reflected on that part of his career while speaking with CinemaBlend.
Clooney spoke with us while promoting his 2025 movie release, Jay Kelly, which sees him play a seasoned actor struggling with personal regrets from his past. Considering the character’s journey, CinemaBlend asked Clooney how his own life and career compare to Jay’s. Clooney opined that unlike him, Jay found success early on and, as he explained, it took him some time to find his own footing within show business:
Well, if you think about it, I have to assume that Jay probably was much more successful at a much younger age. I was — I had already done 13 television pilots and seven series before ER, and ER was sort of the launching pad for me. So I failed a bunch, you know what I mean?
That’s a lot of pilots and TV shows to go through before landing a steady gig. The Facts of Life, The Golden Girls, Roseanne and even a sitcom called E/R are just a few of the credits George Clooney landed early in his career. Of course, it’s far from uncommon for an actor to move from job to job before having their breakthrough. (Just ask David Harbour, who likened his own path to Clooney’s.) Despite those struggles, Clooney now appreciates how those (and his loved ones) have helped ground him:
And so I was a little more prepared in life, for success. When you fail a bunch, you understand how little it has to do with you when you succeed, you know? And so I had a better sort of way in. And so, yes, absolutely. That my family [grounds me and] two eight year olds ground me every minute of the day, as you can imagine.
The Gravity star shares those children with wife Amal Clooney, who he’s been happily married to since 2014. While the couple maintains a sense of privacy for the sake of their family, the details they have shared suggest they enjoy their lives together. Funny enough, the two have watched ER together, and George humorously explained that he got in some trouble with Amal due to Dr. Ross’ skirt-chasing tendencies.
It really goes without saying that George Clooney has come a long way from playing one of the most iconic TV doctors of all time. He’s long since moved to film, headlining massive films like Out of Sight, Three Kings, the Ocean’s trilogy and Michael Clayton. Of course, we can’t forget that TV, as Clooney put it, was his “launching pad,” and I’m glad he’s gained such a keen sense of perspective from the ups and downs of his decades-long journey as an actor.
Check out his work in Jay Kelly, which is now playing in select theaters and will be available for Netflix subscription holders to stream starting on December 5. Also, any ER fans out there should know all 15 seasons of the show (five of which star Clooney as a regular cast member) are streamable with an HBO Max subscription.