Noah Wyle reflects on ER’s legacy, reuniting with Clooney & cast after decades, and his new show, The Pitt. Behind-the-scenes stories were revealed!
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In what way did the unlikely ER reunion take place?
Noah Wyle, George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, and Anthony Edwards got back together in New York many years after the end of ER.
It was not for a reboot but to support Clooney’s Broadway play.
Their first unplanned get-together in over 10 years made them feel nostalgic. Wyle said, “We picked up right where we left off… though with more gray hair.”
Why does ER still follow Wyle around?
Wyle saw ER as more than just a job; it was a “masterclass in storytelling.” He gave a vivid description of the Warner Bros. set, which is now home to The Jennifer Hudson Show.
He said that “bloody surgery scenes with Eriq La Salle felt eerily real.”
The crazy energy of the show—”like a live grenade in a broom closet”—influenced how he acts.
Where Did They Have Their Wildest Moments Behind the Scenes?
- Bike Gang Drama: For Christmas, Clooney gave each cast member a bike, which led to “high-speed lunchtime races around Stage 11,” where Clooney “cut corners like a Formula 1 villain.”
- Margulies once joked about hiding Wyle’s clothes in the middle of a scene, and La Salle responded by placing packing peanuts in her trailer.
Who and why did they leave ER?
People left in a way that looked like a “medical exodus”:
- Clooney (1999): He tried to become a movie star but came back for cameos (“He missed the chaos”).
- Margulies (2000): Working 80-hour weeks can lead to burnout.
- Edwards/La Salle (2001–2002): Tried to become a director and go to Broadway.
(“I clung to that gurney like a lifeline”) Wyle stayed until 2005.
What Does The Pitt Say About ER’s History?
ER and Wyle’s new hospital thriller, The Pitt, which you can watch on Max, are both filmed on the same lot. “Same cement walls, same adrenaline—just swap latex gloves for N95s,” he said. Even though the show is about current health care problems, Wyle says, “No one screams ‘Stat!’ like Carter did.”
Key Themes
- Friendship: “We were like family. Still are.”
- History: As one fan put it, “ER was the last of the ‘watercooler shows.'” It revolutionized the creation of medical stories.
- Completely roundabout: Wyle’s work, from County General to The Pitt, relies on “organized chaos.”