Actor George Clooney is one of the biggest stars in the world. He has been a part of some of the commercially successful films, headlining projects like the Oceans trilogy, From Dusk Till Dawn, and The Perfect Storm. He is also a successful producer, as he won the Academy Award for Best Picture for producing the war drama Argo.
However, Clooney was once a struggling actor before he became the global star he is today. He had to audition for his roles and receive his fair share of rejections. One such instance was when Clooney showed up drunk to the audition of legendary director Francis Ford Coppola’s gothic horror film Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
George Clooney Reveals About His First Audition
George Clooney started his career on TV, where he appeared in small roles in the miniseries Centennial, and E/R. Before his national stardom, he was still an up-and-coming actor, who was auditioning for everything from being an extra to leading roles.
During the promotions for his film Hail, Ceaser!, Clooney was asked in an interview with E! News about his first and worst auditions. He appeared in the interview along with co-star Channing Tatum. Clooney spoke about his first audition,
“My first audition for a private resort or something like that. I didn’t get it and I think I cried when I didn’t get it. I was only twenty years old and I was bad.”
The actor would go on to gain notoriety for appearing in the medical drama ER in 1994 and had his Hollywood breakthrough in Robert Rodriguez’s action horror film From Dusk Till Dawn, which co-starred Harvey Keitel, Quentin Tarantino, and Salma Hayek.
George Clooney Showed Up Drunk To The Audition Of Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula
When asked about his worst audition on E! News, George Clooney instantly recalled and without any hesitation mentioned that his worst audition was for his role in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The actor was reportedly auditioning to play the role of a drunk guy, for which Clooney decided to drink before performing. He said,
“I auditioned for Francis Ford Coppola for Dracula and I was supposed to play a drunk guy and I got really drunk to do it because I thought that was the best way to do it. Then Coppola called my agent and said, ‘He was drunk!’ That didn’t work out.”
George Clooney did not get the role in the film directed by Coppola. However, the actor did get to associate with Coppola again when he starred in his daughter Sofia Coppola’s A Very Murray Christmas.
The Coppola-directed Bram Stoker’s Dracula was released in 1992 to mixed reviews, but huge box office success. The film starred Gary Oldman in the titular role and also featured seasoned actors such as Anthony Hopkins and Winona Ryder. It also featured a young Keanu Reeves as well as Monica Belucci.
The film won three Academy Awards, winning Best Costume Design, Sound Editing, and Makeup. It earned over $215 million at the box office, against a $40 million budget.
Source: E! News
