Today is the 30th anniversary UrgentThe long-running medical drama, which premiered on September 19, 1994, is often credited with helping launch the careers of its original stars, George Clooney and Julianna Margulies. And the two stars still seem to have a bond over their characters to this day.
For the anniversary, Margulies spoke with the Television Academy about one of the most shocking moments in the series, when producers brought Clooney back for a cameo at the end of season six, just as his breakout film career was taking off. Margulies, who also left the series after season six, explained why it was so important for her character, nurse Carol Hathaway, to have a relationship with Clooney's pediatrician, Doug Ross.
“In the end, it always had to be Carol and Doug,” the 58-year-old said in the interview, adding about the special bond he still shares with Clooney. “To this day, George and I still sign off our personal emails with 'Love, Carol' or 'Doug.'”
Margulies also revealed that Clooney's cameo was kept so secret that he wasn't even in the first read-through, leaving the story unresolved.
“[Executive producer John Wells] “Look, we found the right ending for Carol. But we can't tell anyone. Because it wouldn't be a surprise if it got out. So what we're going to do is,” she recalled with a laugh. “I thought, 'I wish she had warned me before she went into that table read!'”
Wells later revealed that Clooney agreed to return, but filming the scene would require flying to Seattle, WA, where a car would pick him up and secretly drive him to the location. It was even said that in order to maintain secrecy for the shoot, he had to sneak his makeup and wardrobe out of his trailer and take them in a backpack to the house the production had rented for the scene.
The reunion came as a surprise even to the other cast members when the episode “Such Sweet Sorrow” finally aired on May 11, 2000. At the time, Margulies was in Prague filming the 2001 miniseries. Mists of Avalonbut he still remembers fondly the experience of watching the episode for the first time.
“I remember making a lot of phone calls from my hotel room for the episode, so when I got back I finally watched it. And it really worked,” she recalls. “And I remember my mother telling me – she was so shocked because everyone knew George was leaving the show – my mother said she screamed, which I think was the reaction of a lot of people. It was the right ending for them because Carol and Doug were destined to be together.”
Clooney and Margulies reunited once more in the 2009 episode “Old Times” before the series ended. UrgentThe 15th and final season of The Hollywood Reporter. Still, it would be hard to top their 2000 reunion.