George Clooney looks back on the moment he missed out on the role that helped launch Brad Pitt to movie stardom, part of 1991’s JD. Thelma & Louise.
speaks to The Times of LondonClooney said he made it all the way to the final audition before the role slipped away.
“I got to the final audition for a part in Thelma & Louise. And mother****er, Brad got it,” he recalled.
At the time, Clooney was working mainly in television and thought that role could have changed everything for him.
He revealed that he avoided watching the film for years because it was frustrating to lose.
“That part started his career in movies. He was doing sitcoms and shit before, so when that was the thing that could have launched me? F***!” he said.
Brad Pitt eventually won the role and delivered a breakout performance as the charming drifter who crosses paths with Geena Davis’ character.
Clooney later admitted that when he finally saw the film, he knew the casting was right. “But of course, when I saw it, I was like, it’s got to be that guy,” he said.
Even Clooney’s friends have reminded him of the moment. Adam Sandler joked that when Pitt took his shirt off on screen, the audience reaction made it clear who belonged in the role.
Geena Davis shared in a previous interview that several actors competed for the character of JD, and she recalled reading scenes with the finalists.
Pitt was the last to audition and his presence immediately stood out.
Davis said she even stumbled over her lines while reading with him because of how impressed she was. When asked for her opinion, she simply referred to him as “the blonde” and the choice was clear.
Although the role went to Pitt, both actors went on to find success in Hollywood and have remained friends over the years.
And while Thelma & Louise gave Pitt his breakthrough moment, Clooney’s career eventually took off on his own time, something he now looks back on with humor rather than regret.
