It was an opening night to remember as George Clooney made his highly anticipated Broadway debut in Good Night, And Good Luck, and the Hollywood icon had the audience doing a double take — not just for his performance, but for his transformation.
Gone was the signature salt-and-pepper hair that has long defined George’s suave appeal. In its place? A striking dark brown shade that dramatically altered his appearance, helping him fully inhabit the role of legendary American broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow.
The 63-year-old actor, known as much for his effortless charm as for his stellar career, looked every inch the 1950s newsman as he took the stage at New York’s iconic Winter Garden Theatre.
© Getty ImagesBut while fans may have been surprised by his new look, no one was more caught off guard than George’s own family.
“My wife is going to hate it,” George admitted candidly in a recent interview with The New York Times. “Nothing makes you look older than when an older guy dyes his hair.” Laughing, he added, “My kids are going to just laugh at me nonstop.”
© Getty ImagesLuckily, George’s sense of humour is as intact as ever — and so is his deep love for his family. While Amal, 47, wasn’t in the audience for opening night due to parenting duties with the couple’s seven-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella, George was quick to sing her praises.
“She’s with the kids,” he said on the red carpet, before beaming, “They love being here. I mean, come on, how do you not love this? It’s New York City.”
In recent months, the Clooneys quietly relocated to Manhattan so that George could dedicate himself fully to the production.
© FilmMagicAnd according to the actor, life in the Big Apple has suited them beautifully. “Actually, a play is kind of a good schedule,” he shared with The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in February. “You’re working at night. You get to see the kids during the day, so it’s okay.”
Good Night, And Good Luck is an adaptation of the acclaimed 2005 film of the same name, which George co-wrote and directed — and which earned him six Academy Award nominations. In the film version, the role of Murrow was memorably portrayed by David Strathairn, who went on to receive an Oscar nomination for the performance.
© Getty ImagesNow, two decades later, George has stepped into the shoes of the pioneering CBS journalist himself — and brought a sense of quiet gravitas to the part.
Taking place during the height of McCarthyism, the play follows Murrow’s fight to uphold truth and integrity in journalism at a time when fear and suspicion ran rampant through American society.
The opening night drew a glittering guest list of celebrities who came out to support George’s stage debut.
Among those spotted in the audience were Jennifer Lopez, Uma Thurman, Gayle King, and power couple Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, who attended with their model daughter Kaia Gerber.
