George Clooney and Julianna Margulies Still Use Their ER Characters’ Names in Personal Emails

Though ‘ER’ has long ended, the friendship between George Clooney and Julianna Margulies remains strong. During an interview with the Television Academy in celebration of the medical drama’s 30th anniversary Margulies, 58, shared that she and Clooney, 63, continue a special tradition from their ‘ER’ days.

“It always had to be Carol and Doug in the end,” Margulies said, referencing their characters on the show—head nurse Carol Hathaway and Dr. Doug Ross. She revealed that they still sign their personal emails to each other as “Love, Carol” or “Doug.”

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‘ER’, which aired from 1994 to 2009, was set in the fictional County General Hospital’s emergency room in Chicago and won 23 Emmys during its run. Margulies confessed that hearing the show’s theme song still stirs strong emotions for her. She also recalled the excitement when Clooney returned to the show after his departure in season five. “My mother screamed,” Margulies said, adding that many fans likely reacted the same way. She felt Carol and Doug were meant to end up together and credited ‘ER’ with launching both her and Clooney’s careers.

Margulies expressed her gratitude for the show, saying, “I will always be indebted to ‘ER’.” Alongside Clooney and Margulies, the cast included Anthony Edwards, Sherry Stringfield, Eriq La Salle, and Noah Wyle.

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In a 2022 episode of ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’, Clooney shared that he remains close with his ‘ER’ castmates. He mentioned having Anthony Edwards over in Italy and maintaining strong friendships with Margulies and Wyle, calling ‘ER’ a “job of a lifetime” that transformed his career.

Clooney’s latest film, ‘Wolfs’, a thriller-comedy with Brad Pitt, hits theatres on 20th September and begins streaming on Apple TV+ on 27th September. ‘ER’ is available to stream on Hulu.

–Farheen Ali