ER: Why George Clooney Refused To Return For Anthony Edwards’ Exit
Two of ER’s biggest stars were George Clooney and Anthony Edwards, and the former refused to appear in the final episode of the latter – here’s why.
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ER is one of the most popular medical dramas in TV history, and it served as a big boost in the careers of many actors, as are George Clooney and Anthony Edwards, with the former leaving the show first and not coming back for the latter’s final episode. Created by Michael Crichton, ER premiered on NBC in 1994 and came to an end in 2009 after 15 seasons, becoming the longest-running primetime medical drama in American TV history, right behind Grey’s Anatomy. ER received positive reviews throughout its whole run and continues to be a favorite of the audience.
As the name says, ER followed the inner life of the emergency room of the fictional County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, and the many critical cases faced by the physicians and staff – and, of course, their personal lives, which often overlap with their professional ones. As happens with any other long-running TV show, ER saw many of its original cast members leave as the series progressed, and at some point, it said goodbye to its most popular and beloved characters. Such was the case of Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) and Dr. Doug Ross (George Clooney), who left in season 8 and season 5, respectively, and even though their characters were close, Clooney didn’t return for his friend’s final episode.
Ross resigned from County in ER season 5 following a scandal that nearly ended his career. Ross went against protocol and gave a terminally ill boy and his mother pain medication that endangered an ongoing study, which obviously got him into trouble but the incident was kept private. However, he later helped the mother end her son’s suffering by showing her how to bypass the lockouts on a Dilaudid PCA so she could give him a lethal dose of medication. Ross faced criminal charges that were ultimately dropped, but he resigned and moved to Seattle. Greene, on the other hand, died in season 8 after a battle with brain cancer. Greene’s co-workers were present at his funeral in the episode “On The Beach”, except for Clooney’s Ross, and not returning was actually Clooney’s decision.
As it turns out, George Clooney was reportedly asked to reprise his role as Doug Ross for Anthony Edwards’ final episode in ER, specifically for the funeral scene. However, Clooney declined not because he wasn’t interested or because he was too busy, but because he didn’t want his cameo appearance to overshadow the departure of a fan-favorite character as was Mark Greene. Clooney eventually returned to ER in season 15, where he, along with Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies), convinced a grieving grandmother to donate her grandson’s organs, with one of his kidneys going to none other than Dr. John Carter (Noah Wyle). As for Anthony Edwards, Mark Greene also returned in season 15, but in a flashback.
Mark Greene’s death and Anthony Edwards’ departure were heartbreaking, and while it would have been nice to see George Clooney’s Doug Ross attending Greene’s funeral, it was ultimately for the better that he didn’t. Unlike other cases in many TV shows, Clooney’s absence from such an important event in ER wasn’t due to behind-the-scenes drama, but because he wanted the attention of the audience to go to where it should: the final goodbye to Dr. Mark Green.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/er-show-george-clooney-anthony-edwards-refused-cameo-why/