George Clooney Admits He Wants to be Noah Wyle When He 'Grows Up' After ‘ER’ Reunion
- - George Clooney Admits He Wants to be Noah Wyle When He 'Grows Up' After ‘ER’ Reunion
Jane LaCroixJanuary 11, 2026 at 7:16 PM
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Photo by Maarten De Boer/Getty Images for AARP
The Movies for Grownups Awards turned into a full-circle moment for TV fans Saturday night when George Clooney and Noah Wyle reunited twice onstage, reflecting on a friendship that began more than 30 years ago on ER.
Both actors took home honors at the AARP-hosted ceremony, on January 10, held at the Beverly Wilshire. Clooney, 64, won Best Actor for Jay Kelly, while Wyle, 54,was recognized as Best TV Actor for The Pitt. When Clooney stepped up to present Wyle’s award, he couldn’t resist a joke, suggesting AARP launch a “Sexiest Man Still Alive” issue. “I would nominate Noah Wyle as the first guy,” he said, drawing laughs from the room.
Clooney then grew more reflective, recalling their early days on NBC hit. “I met Noah in 1993. He hadn’t worked a lot yet and we did this show called ER and it was this crazy hit,” he said, noting that the show once pulled in 40 million viewers. He praised Wyle’s character and generosity, adding, “He was the kindest person I ever met… When I grow up, I want to be Noah Wyle.”
And Wyle returned the admiration. “You got me choked up there buddy,” he said, before crediting Clooney with setting the tone on ER from day one. Wyle recalled Clooney gathering the cast and laying down ground rules: “‘OK everybody, this is how it’s gonna be. We’re going to be nice to everyone… we’re going to learn our lines, we’re going to be on time.’” He added that he spent years chasing that same sense of family, finally finding it again on The Pitt.
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The mutual appreciation continued when Wyle later presented Clooney with his award. Clooney kept things light, joking, “Movies for Grownups just means old people—I realize now that the only way I was going to win anything was if Timothée Chalamet is too goddamn young.”
The reunion also comes as Clooney has been candid about changing how he approaches romantic roles. In a DecemberDaily Mail interview, he revealed he’s stepping away from on-screen kissing, a decision he discussed with his wife, Amal Clooney.
“I’ve been trying to go the route Paul Newman did—’Okay, well, I’m not kissing a girl anymore,’” Clooney said. “When I turned 60, I had a conversation with my wife. I said, ‘Look, I can still play basketball with the boys. I play with 25-year-old guys. I can still hang, I’m in shape. But in 25 years, I’m 85 years old. It doesn’t matter how many granola bars you eat, that’s a real number.’”
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
