George Clooney Nearly Ended His Career Before Landing ER Because Of A Heated Argument

George Clooney has had a long and successful career. While he might not be exactly thrilled about how his age is catching up to him, he has a lot to be proud of. There was a moment early in his acting journey, however, where he thought his career was going to end before he landed any big roles. In an interview with W Magazine, Clooney detailed the argument that he had with a studio executive that had the potential to prevent his glory days on "ER" from ever happening.

"About 10 years in, I got in an argument with an executive producer. I was the third or fourth banana on a TV show, and I had to leave. I thought that was the end of my career," said Clooney. "I wasn't in a position of power, but I wasn't going to be spoken to the way that I was. I told him to knock it off. He yelled at me. I yelled back. It's still debatable whether I was fired or I quit."

Clooney did not specify which show this was, but it's reasonable to think it was a sitcom entitled "Baby Talk." Clooney told OK News in 2009 that he didn't get along with the producer Ed Weinberger, and he also said: "I'm not sure if I was fired or quit from that one." It also could be a reference to Clooney's infamous firing from "Facts of Life," but that seems less likely since he was begrudgingly rehired because of his contract.

George Clooney has made a stunning transformation through his decades long career, and his breakout role was definitively as Dr. Doug Ross on "ER." Surprisingly though, Clooney was not easily cast in "ER." Instead, he had to be relentless, practically begging to be cast in the show. Former NBC West Coast President Warren Littlefield told the story of Clooney refusing to leave John Wells' office until he could audition for the role on an episode of the "Howard Stern Show."

According to Littlefield, Clooney was in a lot of "bad shows" and likely would not be on anyone's radar for a major role. Another hurdle that Clooney had to tackle was the fact that he was still under contract at Warner Bros. for the show "Sisters" and other projects. Obviously, Clooney's persistence paid off, and he was launched to stardom via "ER." Considering the jobs Clooney did before becoming a Hollywood icon, it's hard not to consider his casting as a momentous turning point in both his life and film and television history.