George Clooney Drops F-Bombs While Recalling Losing Thelma & Louise Role To Pal Brad Pitt

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George Clooney is one of the most successful and recognizable actors of the last few decades, known for his work in both movies and television. He’s consistently proven himself to be among the very best. Interestingly, he almost played the role in Thelma & Louise that ultimately launched Brad Pitt – his future co-star and romantic interest – to stardom in the early 1990s.

The possibility of a different casting choice became a big talking point when George Clooney and his Ocean’s Eleven co-star spoke with The Times. While discussing a missed opportunity in one of Ridley Scott’s most famous films – losing the role of the charismatic character J.D., a part that ultimately helped launch his future friend’s movie career – the Jay Kelly actor was very candid, stating:

I used to work in television and was doing well, but at the time, actors often looked down on TV work, claiming they were ‘real’ film actors who just happened to be on television. I even made it to the final audition for the movie Thelma & Louise, but unfortunately, Brad Pitt got the part.

Between 1988 and 1991, George Clooney had already made appearances on television shows like The Facts of Life, Murder, She Wrote, and Roseanne. However, he wasn’t yet a familiar face in movies, unless you happened to be a fan of lesser-known films such as Grizzly II: Revenge, Return to Horror High, or Return of the Killer Tomatoes.

George Clooney became widely known a few years later when he starred in the early seasons of ER, and then transitioned to movies in the mid-1990s. He confesses that he avoided watching Thelma & Louise for many years after losing the part to Brad Pitt, saying:

I avoided watching Thelma & Louise for a long time because it frustrated me. That role really kicked off his film career – he was stuck doing silly sitcoms beforehand. So, to think that that could have been my big break? It’s incredibly frustrating!

It’s easy to imagine this as just playful teasing between friends about delaying the obvious, but it makes you think about how different George Clooney’s career might have been if he’d played the iconic, bare-chested drifter with the cowboy hat and perfectly styled hair. Similarly, it’s interesting to consider what Brad Pitt’s career path would have looked like if he hadn’t gotten his start in a film alongside Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis.

Clooney eventually did see Thelma & Louise. He now realizes Brad Pitt was the better choice for the role, though his friend still playfully teases him about it.

Oh yeah, he gives me shit. But, of course, when I saw it, I was, like, well, it had to be that guy.

It’s hard to picture anyone else in the role of J.D. like Brad Pitt. Even though he’s only in a small portion of the film, he made a lasting impression, and those scenes still feel powerful after all these years.

Despite never working with Ridley Scott again, George Clooney has had an incredibly successful and varied career, proving difficult to define by any single label.

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2025-12-27 05:38