George Clooney reveals resentment after losing Thelma & Louise role

George Clooney talked about how he felt about losing a pivotal role to Brad Pitt in the early years of his career.

During a recent interview TimesThe 64-year-old actor revealed that he was once close to taking on the role of JD, the charming drifter played by Brad Pitt in the 1991 classic “Thelma & Louise.”

“I took the final test for a role in ‘Thelma & Louise.’ And damn Brad got it,” Clooney said.

The role of JD became Pitt’s breakthrough performance, turning him into a movie star almost overnight; Clooney, on the other hand, was still best known for his television work at the time.

In “Thelma and Louise,” sheltered housewife Thelma Dickinson (Geena Davis) and her best friend, independent waitress Louise Sawyer (Susan Sarandon), first encounter JD at a roadside motel after fleeing the scene of a crime.

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Unhappily married to the controlling Darryl (Christopher McDonald), Thelma is seduced and betrayed by J.D., triggering a series of events that will lead to the film’s iconic ending.

“Thelma & Louise” became a critical and commercial hit upon its release, and the role of J.D. catapulted Pitt to stardom.

Meanwhile, Clooney appeared a few years later on the hit television series “ER” as Dr. He became a household name by portraying Doug Ross.

However, Clooney admitted that he struggled with resentment for years after Pitt was cast as J.D. He told the Times that he was particularly frustrated at the time because he believed he could have broken new ground in films had he taken the role.

JD’s role in “Thelma & Louise” catapulted Pitt to stardom. (Fotos International/Getty Images)

“I was on TV,” Clooney recalled. “I was making a good living, but back then actors would say, ‘I’m a movie actor, I only work in television.'”

“I haven’t watched ‘Thelma & Louise’ in years because I got angry,” the two-time Oscar winner said. “This role started his career in film. He had been doing sitcoms and nonsense before, so when did something happen that could get me going? F—!!”

Despite the lingering resentment at the time, Clooney said he and Pitt eventually became close friends and even collaborators.

The duo starred in the acclaimed “Ocean’s Eleven” (2001) and its sequels “Ocean’s Twelve” (2004) and “Ocean’s Thirteen” (2007), as well as “Burn After Reading” (2008) and the 2024 thriller “Wolfs.”

Speaking to the Times, Clooney said his former rival still teases him about losing the role, but has since admitted that Pitt was the perfect choice for the role of J.D.

“Oh yeah, he gives me s—,” Clooney said of Pitt. “Of course, when I saw him, I thought, ‘he must be that guy.'”

Clooney as Dr. on “ER.” He became a household name by portraying the character of Doug Ross. (Sven Arnstein/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

Adam Sandler, who stars alongside Clooney in the new movie “Jay Kelly,” joined him for the Times interview and also contributed to the legendary casting decision.

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“I saw this in the theater and when Brad took his shirt off, people went crazy,” Sandler said. “But it should have been you, Clooney.”

Davis, 69, recalled Pitt’s audition for “Thelma & Louise” during a 2022 appearance on “The Graham Norton Show.”

“When I was cast there were four finalists left for the role,” Davis recalled. “They said, ‘Can you read a book with them, so we can see what you’re like?’ Every single one of them came, every single one of them was very handsome, they were all brown-haired and very talented. I didn’t care who it would be.”

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“And then the fourth person that came in was Brad Pitt,” he continued. “He’s so charismatic and incredibly talented that I ruined his audition because I forgot to say my line. I was like, ‘Wow, he’s really talented.'”

Davis later recalled telling the producers which actor she thought should play J.D.: “The blonde one!” he said.

Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis take Polaroids in a scene from the movie. ((Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images))

The Academy Award winner recalled that the other three candidates for the role were Clooney, Mark Ruffalo and Grant Show.

Davis revealed that she once sat next to Clooney on a flight and described the actor as “very friendly and wonderful.”

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“He finally said, ‘You know I hate Brad Pitt,'” she recalled. “And I say, ‘No, you don’t. He’s a really good friend of yours.’ And he said, ‘No, I hate him because he got the part.’ And I said, ‘Oh, did you want the part?’ I said. And he said, ‘Can’t you tell when I auditioned with you?’

Davis laughingly admitted that he didn’t remember Clooney “at all” from the audition.

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Pitt and Clooney are now long-time friends and collaborators. (James Devaney/GC Images)

In a 2023 interview with W magazine, Pitt stated that “Thelma & Louise” was his “entry into the big leagues.”

However, he recalled that he could barely get the part.CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

“I thought I was the one for the job. But they interviewed a few other actors,” Pitt recalled. “At first I didn’t get the part, then it came back and I didn’t get it again and I was like, ‘Uh-huh. Okay. I’m moving on.’ I said. And then it came back again. “I feel like it happened three times.”