George Clooney recalls being frustrated after losing ‘Thelma & Louise’ role to Brad Pitt

Clooney says he avoided watching Thelma & Louise for years after missing out on the iconic role

George Clooney revealed in a recent interview with The Sunday Times that he’s still annoyed about losing the role of J.D. in Ridley Scott’s 1991 film Thelma & Louise to longtime friend Brad Pitt.

“I got to the final test for a role in Thelma & Louise. And, motherfucker, Brad got it,” Clooney said. “I didn’t watch Thelma & Louise for years, because I was annoyed. The part launched his career in film. He was doing sitcoms and crap before, so when it was the thing that could’ve launched me? Fuck!”

In the movie, J.D. is a charming drifter who sparks a brief romance with Thelma, played by Geena Davis.

The role helped catapult Pitt to stardom, leading to major films such as A River Runs Through It, Interview with the Vampire, Se7en, and 12 Monkeys.

Clooney noted that Pitt still teases him about landing the part. “Oh yeah, he still gives me shit,” Clooney said with a laugh. “But, of course, when I saw it, I was, like, well, it had to be that guy.”

Though missing out on J.D. was a disappointment, Clooney eventually found his breakout role a few years later.

He became widely known as Dr. Doug Ross on ER from 1994 to 1999, and after a critically panned turn in Batman & Robin (1997), he cemented his status as a leading man with Steven Soderbergh’s 1998 thriller Out of Sight.

Clooney’s reflection on losing the role offers a candid glimpse into Hollywood’s competitive casting world, and shows that even established stars like him had near-misses that could have changed the trajectory of their careers.