“The Pitt” star Noah Wyle shared how George Clooney served as a role model for him when they co-starred on the hit 90s medical drama “ER.”
Wyle, 54, and Clooney, 64, were part of the “ER” original ensemble and worked together from 1994 to 1999 during seasons one through five. On Saturday, the actors reunited at the 2026 AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, where Wyle presented Clooney with the best actor trophy for his performance in the 2025 comedy-drama “Jay Kelly.”
While speaking with Fox News Digital, Wyle reflected on working with Clooney and how the 10-year-older actor set an example for him on the set of “ER.”
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“It was always play, it was always fun,” he recalled. “George makes any room that he’s in a really fun room and every set that he is on is both professional and jovial, where you take your work seriously, but you don’t take yourself seriously.”
“I learned a lot from him,” Wyle continued. “I apply a lot of those lessons to the way that I conduct myself on the set of ‘The Pitt’ and the way that I sort of impart wisdom to the younger ensemble that I’m working with.”
The duo’s characters in “ER” also shared a mentor-mentee relationship on-screen in the show’s earlier seasons. Clooney played senior attending physician Dr. Doug Ross while Wyle portrayed third-year medical student John Carter, who grows into a skilled emergency room doctor over the course of the series.
During his interview with Fox News Digital, Wyle said that it was “extremely gratifying” to be honoring Clooney at the awards ceremony and as well as “congratulate him for his continued success.”
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The actor added that he also took personal satisfaction in being part of the annual event, which recognized movies and performances that resonate with adults, especially audiences 50 and over.
“To feel like you’ve sort of arrived in a college of longevity feels very comforting,” Wyle said.
Wyle is currently starring in the gripping medical drama “The Pitt,” in which he now serves as mentor to a younger group of emergency room doctors. The actor portrays Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, who leads the ER team at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, which the staff nickname “The Pitt.”
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The HBO show debuted in January 2025 and quickly earned critical acclaim and became a hit with fans. “The Pitt” received 13 nominations at the 77th Emmy Awards, winning for outstanding drama series. Wyle also took home the trophy for outstanding actor in a drama series, while his co-star Katherine LaNasa won for outstanding supporting actress.
At the 83rd Golden Globes Awards on Sunday, Wyle received the best actor in a television series – drama award, while “The Pitt” also won the best television series – drama.
The show’s second season premiered on Jan. 8, and it has already been renewed for a third season.
While speaking with Fox News Digital at AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, Wyle shared his thoughts on why “The Pitt” resonates with an older audience.
“Well, we have a very large aging population,” he said. “The boomer generation is massive, and that’s the generation that is moving into retirement. They are facing end-of-life issues and illness issues and estrangement from family issues.”
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“So a show like ‘The Pitt’ that addresses caretaker fatigue, for example, or the kind of care that people receive in some elderly homes and hospices is relevant and answers a lot of questions, gives a little exposure therapy to audiences that want to know more about it because they’re about to experience it, gives little comforting context to those who are in the middle of experiencing it.”
Wyle also expressed his gratitude to his family for supporting him throughout his career, as well as instilling moral values in him that he has carried on.
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“I was counting my blessings earlier today and thinking how fortunate I am to come from such a loving, supportive, for the most part, stable, artistic, culturally aware, philanthropic family,” he said. “The soup that we were all marinated in young — that we normalized as just being the way conduct yourselves in life is the older I get — I appreciate it.”
“Pretty rare, and they’re qualities that I look forward to having my children give to their children and, you know, I think they’re important to make the world a better place,” Wyle added.
Wyle also praised his parents, orthopedic head nurse Marjorie “Marty” Speer and electrical engineer Stephen Wyle, as well as his stepparents and grandparents.
“I came from good stock, and I’m really, really proud and pleased that I still have four parents that are alive and well and that I have great relationships with our loving and supportive grandparents as well,” he said.
