While filming the thriller Syriana in Morocco in 2005, George Clooney suffered a serious fall in which he sustained a head injuryThis had unforeseen, dire consequences for the superstar.
The serious injury confronted George Clooney with his own mortality
This is what happened on the set of Syriana: In Syriana, directed by Stephen Gaghan, George Clooney plays a CIA agent named Bob Barnes who falls into the hands of terrorists in Iran. During filming, Clooney fell so badly that his head injury had serious consequences. Shortly after the accident, spinal fluid started leaking out of his nose. According to his own statements, he initially feared he was having a stroke.
The accident had dire consequences for George Clooney: As the actor told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview, he immediately sought medical treatment upon returning to the United States. There it turned out that he had a spinal fluid leak. George Clooney described the experience as follows:
I knew immediately [wie ernst es war]. I thought I was having a stroke. It was like a train horn blaring in your head and you can’t see or stand.
George Clooney also told Rolling Stone magazine how he had been in severe physical pain for three weeks as a result of his spinal cord injury and was unable to leave the hospital. At the same time, he also reached a point mentally where he thought about scenarios in which he could end his life – even if he had no serious intention of doing so:
I was in a situation where I was trying to figure out how to survive.
Clooney was able to recover from his accident and also fight back mentally to his old strength. The time off did not harm his career. Almost 20 years after the accident, he is as active as ever and is currently in the headlines with Wolf’s collaboration with Brad Pitt for a huge fee.
In fact, George Clooney won an Oscar for his fatal role in Syriana – the only Oscar for the production. Director and screenwriter Stephen Gaghan was also nominated for the script.