George Clooney Offers Praise for ‘ER’ Co-Star: “When I Grow Up, I Want to Be Noah Wyle”

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George Clooney recently ran into his former ER co-star, Noah Wyle, at an awards show. While it wasn’t a full-on reunion like fans might have hoped, it was great to see them share memories of their time working together on the popular NBC series. Clooney even playfully told Wyle, before presenting him with an award, that he aspires to be like him, saying, “When I grow up, I want to be Noah Wyle.”

The two actors met again at the Movies for Grownups Awards. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they both complimented each other’s work. Wyle continued his winning streak for his performance in The Pitt, while Clooney was recognized for his role in Jay Kelly. Clooney, known for Ocean’s Eleven, had high praise for Wyle, who is back on television with the hit medical drama series.

I first met Noah back in 1993. He was just starting out in his career when we worked on a TV show called ER, which unexpectedly became a huge success. We had around 40 million viewers at its peak, and I remember Noah asking me if that was a good number. I told him it was amazing, and something that likely wouldn’t happen again.

From the moment I met Noah Wyle, he struck me as incredibly mature and insightful – someone who seemed to see the world differently. He was genuinely one of the kindest people I’ve ever known, and we formed a close friendship almost instantly, a friendship I deeply cherish. I’m incredibly proud to call him both a friend and a colleague. Honestly, he’s someone I’ve always looked up to, and if I could model my own life after anyone, it would be him. He really is that inspiring.

Before presenting Clooney with the award, Wyle affectionately acknowledged his ER co-star, telling him, “You really made me emotional there, buddy.” He then recalled a story from when they first started filming the ’90s medical drama, noting how it reminded him of the strong sense of community he felt while working on The Pitt.

I clearly recall the first week of filming ER. He gathered the entire cast in his trailer and laid out his expectations: everyone would be kind and respectful, there would be no separation between actors and crew, and everyone would memorize their lines and be punctual.

For the first fifteen years of my career, things ran smoothly and I felt a strong sense of belonging and commitment. I spent the following fifteen years searching for that same feeling, and I finally rediscovered it working with The Pitt.

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Image via HBO Max

When The Pitt first aired, it seemed unlikely to become as popular as it did. But as the show went on, viewers really connected with the doctors and nurses at the Pittsburgh hospital, and the season finale attracted a surprisingly large and dedicated fanbase. Though medical dramas are often successful, The Pitt’s audience is particularly noteworthy.

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HBO recognized the show’s strong appeal and quickly greenlit a second season, which premiered on January 8th to millions of viewers eager to follow the drama in the busy emergency room. The show’s growing popularity has led to a renewal for a third season, and the star has confirmed it will arrive in under ten months. This faster release schedule is reminiscent of the original ER, when fans didn’t have to wait years between seasons of their favorite shows.



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2026-01-17 20:48