Julianna Margulies says her and George Clooney ER characters’ chemistry was fueled by real crushes

Julianna Margulies and George Clooney’s ER characters had one of the hottest onscreen relationships of the 90s.

And it turns out the chemistry was real between the heartthrob, 59, and Margulies, who said the actors were definitely crushing on each other while shooting the medical drama. 

‘That can’t happen if you don’t have a crush on each other,” Margulies told People of their steamy on-camera connection. ‘And with George and me, it was so organic.’

Chemistry! Julianna Margulies said she and George Clooney actually had crushes on each other while playing an on-screen couple on the 90s medical drama ER

Margulies said her whole experience on the medical drama was an adventure, revealing how she was originally meant to be a one-episode guest star on the series pilot.

‘I was supposed to die,’ she joked. ‘I was just a guest star. I had to drive my cranky little rental car to Crenshaw at this abandoned hospital.’

But while she was nowhere near a star yet, Julianna said George ‘could not have been kinder or sweeter’ to her.

‘I was just supposed to be a guest star, number 39 on the call sheet. But he treated everyone the same,’ the Good Wife lead later recalled. 

She would go on to play nurse Carol Hathaway for six seasons, enjoying more than a few makeout scenes with George’s Dr. Doug Ross through the years.

'Organic': 'That can't happen if you don't have a crush on each other," Margulies told People of their steamy on-camera connection. 'And with George and me, it was so organic.' They're seen in 2008 above

‘Organic’: ‘That can’t happen if you don’t have a crush on each other,” Margulies told People of their steamy on-camera connection. ‘And with George and me, it was so organic.’ They’re seen in 2008 above

Couple: She played nurse Carol Hathaway for six seasons, enjoying more than a few makeout scenes with George's Dr. Doug Ross through the years

Couple: She played nurse Carol Hathaway for six seasons, enjoying more than a few makeout scenes with George’s Dr. Doug Ross through the years

And while their on-screen connection was pure romance, Margulies said she found Clooney actually becoming a ‘mentor’ of sorts during the production. 

‘I followed and watched how he conducted himself on the set,’ she said of ER, which was her breakout role. 

‘When you create an environment that people feel safe in, then you do your best work. And George taught me that,’ she said. ‘I felt so safe with him. 

‘I mean, I never thought, “Well, why would I be in the bathtub and he’s coming in?” I was like, “Okay, I’ll be in the bathtub. Yeah, great.”‘

The TV couple will reunite later this week when they’ll join Gloria Reuben, Noah Wyle, Laura Innes, Anthony Edwards and more for a live ER cast virtual reunion on the web-series Stars In The House.

Reunion: The TV couple will reunite later this week when they'll join Gloria Reuben, Noah Wyle, Laura Innes, Anthony Edwards and more for a live ER cast virtual reunion on the web-series Stars In The House

Reunion: The TV couple will reunite later this week when they’ll join Gloria Reuben, Noah Wyle, Laura Innes, Anthony Edwards and more for a live ER cast virtual reunion on the web-series Stars In The House 

Julianna told People she’s thrilled to reunite with her castmates, adding that she’s regularly in touch with Wyle, Clooney and Eriq La Salle.

I think I’m just as excited as the fans are to see them all,’ said the star, whose memoir Sunshine Girl: An Unexpected Life comes out May 4th.

‘In fact, I literally just was emailing with George because I said, “I’ve written this book and you’re in it, and it’s not a tell-all, it’s just that I have to give credit where credit is due and you should have it. And where do I send it, under what name and what country?”‘

Clooney spends most of his time living in Lake Como, Italy with wife Amal and their twins.

Margulies has been married to attorney Keith Lieberthal, 48, since 2007. The couple share at 13-year-old son.  

Author: Margulies said she's still in touch with Clooney and recently reached out to ask where she can send a copy of her forthcoming memoir Sunshine Giri, out May 4th

Author: Margulies said she’s still in touch with Clooney and recently reached out to ask where she can send a copy of her forthcoming memoir Sunshine Giri, out May 4th