The actress' ‘ER’ character was originally killed off in the show’s pilot.
George Clooney’s best save on ER was apparently Julianna Margulies’ career!
The 52-year-old actress opened up about how the Oscar winner influenced her lengthy television career.
“Honestly I owe my career to George Clooney,” Margulies told Seth Meyers on Tuesday’s Late Night. “Let me explain, I seriously owe my career to George Clooney because my character died in the pilot of ER.”
After her character’s death, Margulies almost took a job that would have prevented her from returning to ER.
“I was about to sign on to a not-very-good sitcom because I came back to New York. I needed a job,” she explained. “He called me out of the blue, kind of put his neck out on the line for me and said, ‘I heard that your character tested well. And if I were you I wouldn’t take another job because I think they’re going to bring you back to life.’”
Margulies ended up portraying nurse Carol Hathaway on the hit medical drama, even after the exit of Clooney’s Dr. Doug Ross, Carol's love interest. The pair reunited in the show’s final season in 2009.
“We did all of that in secret. No, I mean, not even the cast and crew knew,” Margulies shared. “They flew us to Seattle, but they flew George on the Warner Bros. private jet. I took commercial.”
The Dietland star also opened up to ET’s Nancy O’Dell at the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award Gala, which was honoring Clooney, about her experience working with the A-lister on the ER set.
"His body of work speaks for itself. He knows so much about the business and yet has never, ever, ever gotten jaded by it," Margulies told ET. "He is truly noble. He treats every single person alike on the set it, doesn't matter their job title... Yeah, he taught me everything."
For more from Clooney, watch the clip below:
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