Brad Pitt may have snagged the breakout role that changed his life — and George Clooney hasn’t heard the end of it since.
In a recent conversation with The Times alongside costar Adam Sandler, Clooney reflected on losing the now-iconic role in Thelma & Louise to Pitt back in the early ’90s.
“I made it all the way to the final audition,” Clooney recalled. “And then — damn it — Brad got the part.”
Pitt, of course, went on to play J.D., the charismatic drifter who sweeps Geena Davis’ Thelma off her feet. The role became Pitt’s Hollywood turning point, leading to major opportunities with big-name directors shortly afterward.
Clooney wasn’t so lucky. While Pitt’s film career took off, Clooney spent the early ’90s stuck in small TV roles — and he admits he held a grudge.
“I refused to watch Thelma & Louise for years,” Clooney said. “I was irritated. That role skyrocketed him into movies. He was doing sitcoms before that — and then suddenly it was his big break instead of mine. It was infuriating!”
According to Clooney, Pitt still ribs him about it to this day.
“Oh, he gives me hell for it,” Clooney said, though he conceded that Pitt ultimately was the perfect fit. “When I finally watched it, I thought, okay… it had to be that guy.”
Adam Sandler chimed in, recalling the unforgettable moment in the theater when Pitt appeared shirtless. “The crowd went wild,” Sandler said. “But honestly, it could have been you, Clooney.”
Geena Davis also remembered Clooney’s long-held frustration. In a 2016 interview, she recounted Clooney telling her on a plane, “I hate Brad Pitt.” When she reminded him they were friends, he replied, “Not for taking that part!”
Despite the early rivalry, Clooney and Pitt went on to become close friends and frequent collaborators, starring together in Ocean’s Eleven and its sequels, Burn After Reading, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and more.
Clooney recently hinted that Ocean’s Fourteen is in the works — and he hopes Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, and Don Cheadle will all return. “They’re still some of my closest friends,” he said. “Working with them again would be a blast.”
