George Clooney is one of the biggest names in Hollywood, who has done several iconic roles in his career, and is one of the few actors in the industry who can play roles in every genre. Be it an action movie, a romantic one, or a dramatic one, The Ides of March actor would make the audience and critics, a fan of his art. And due to his versatility, the actor has managed to stay relevant even after so many years.
One such instance of his performance was in the 2005 political drama film Syriana, which critics believe was intelligent, provocative, and committed. Needless to say, George Clooney was committed to playing his role flawlessly and underwent a physical transformation for authenticity. However, while shooting for the film, he suffered from a catastrophic injury, which made him contemplate su**cide.
George Clooney Talks About His Injury in Syriana
While sitting down with The Hollywood Reporter, George Clooney talks about a number of topics, one of them being his back injury, which he suffered during the filming of the 2005 drama film. The actor shared “I knew immediately [how serious it was],” and he felt as if he had a stroke, and he could not see or stand in the next moment.
“I thought I’d had a stroke. It was like a train horn going off in your head and you can’t see and you can’t stand.”
Upon diagnosis, the actor came to know that he suffered from a serious back injury which caused spinal fluid to leak out of his nose. As a result, he went through excruciating treatment, which often made Clooney think of ending his life.
“I had a two-and-a-half-inch tear in the middle of my back and a half-inch tear in my neck. I thought I was going to die, [but] I’ve gone from where I can’t function, where ‘I just can’t live like this,’ to ‘I’ve got a bad headache. Turning off the television causes me to think, and once I start that vision roaring, I have a very tough time getting to sleep. Without question, I wake every night five times.”
George Clooney shared the details of his surgery and how the doctor was not lying when he told him that the pain of his injury would need a lot of time to heal, and they were not lying about his recovery.
“A blood patch, where they take your blood and shoot it into your spine and get the blood to coagulate to plug up the holes. I still get headaches sometimes. But even the doctor, when I had surgery in 2005, said, ‘Listen, this pain is going to go away with a whimper, not a bang.’ And there’s some truth there.”
“It took years to slowly diminish and diminish and diminish to where now anything I get is negligible. It’s like having a hangover: You know when you get it, and you can handle it. It’s been much, much better.”
While George Clooney suffered from a serious injury while shooting for Syriana, it was worth it, because, for his performance in the 2005 drama film, he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Role. And as much as the actor was delighted with the win, Harrison Ford regrets turning down the role in the project.
Harrison Ford Regrets Turning Down The Role in Syriana
Syriana was a passion project for George Clooney, as the film helped the actor win an Academy Award for his performance. However, the Up In The Air actor was not the first choice for the film, as the studio considered Harrison Ford for the role. In an interview, Harrison Ford confessed how he wished he had agreed to the role Clooney played in the film. The actor felt that he did not have a good feeling about the plot of the film, and he regretted it when the result of the Academy Awards was announced.
“I saw a bit of [director] Steve Gaghan’s movie ‘Syriana’ and I wish I’d played the part that was offered to me – George’s part. I didn’t feel strongly enough about the truth of the material and I think I made a mistake. I think the film underwent some changes and I think a lot of it is very truthful. The things that I thought weren’t, were obviated after I left the table.”
People who have not watched Syriana should definitely give it a watch. Clooney played a complex role, which keeps the audience at the edge of their seats. The plot of the movie would keep the viewers anticipating what would happen in the next scene, and it will form an emotional turmoil at the end, making it a great film.
Syriana can be streamed on Netflix.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
