George Clooney remembers the moment he missed the role that helped launch Brad Pitt to movie stardom, the role of JD in 1991. Thelma and Luisa.
talking to The London TimesClooney said he made it to the final audition before the role slipped away.
“I made it to the final audition for a role on Thelma & Louise. And, son of a bitch, Brad got it,” he recalled.
At the time, Clooney was working primarily in television and believed that role could have changed everything for him.
He revealed that he avoided watching the film for years because losing was frustrating.
“The role launched his film career. He was doing sitcoms and trash before, so when was it that could have launched me? Shit!” said.
Brad Pitt ultimately won the role and gave a standout performance as the charming drifter who crosses paths with Geena Davis’ character.
Clooney later admitted that once he finally saw the film, he knew the casting was right. “But of course when I saw him, I thought, well, it had to be that guy,” he said.
Even Clooney’s friends have reminded him of the moment. Adam Sandler joked that when Pitt took off his shirt on screen, the audience reaction made it obvious who belonged in the role.
Geena Davis shared in a previous interview that several actors were in the running for the character of JD and she remembered reading scenes with the finalists.
Pitt was the last to audition and his presence stood out immediately.
Davis said she even stumbled over his lines while reading with him because of how impressed she was. Once asked for her opinion, she simply referred to him as “the blonde one” and the choice was clear.
Although the role went to Pitt, both actors found success in Hollywood and have remained friends over the years.
and while Thelma and Luisa gave Pitt his breakthrough moment, Clooney’s career finally took off in due time, something he now looks back on with humor rather than regret.
