Julianna Margulies admits off-screen crush with George Clooney boosted 'ER' character relationship

Julianna Margulies's memoir Sunshine Girl: An Unexpected Life is due out May 4, and the 54-year-old actress gave fans a little preview for what's to come actress by chatting with People for its latest issue.

Margulies specifically recounted her ER days—she portrayed Carol Hathaway for six of the medical drama's 15 seasons—including the pilot episode that was supposed to be the extent of her character.

"I was just a guest star," she said. "I had to drive my cranky little rental car to Crenshaw at this abandoned hospital."

Margulies then commented on Carol's romance with Doug Ross, played by George Clooney, that ended blissfully. 

"That can't happen if you don't have a crush on each other," Margulies said, "and with George and me, it was so organic. I was just supposed to be a guest star, number 39 on the call sheet. But he treated everyone the same."

The Golden Globe winner continued: "I followed and watched how he conducted himself on the set. When you create an environment that people feel safe in, then you do your best work. And George taught me that. 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.'"

Post-ER, Margulies went on to star as the The Good Wife's leading woman Alicia Florrick, for which she won her Golden Globe, from 2009-16. More recently, she has appeared in recurring television roles on Dietland (2018), The Hot Zone (2019) and Billions (2020).

ER was the longest-running primetime medical drama until Grey's Anatomy surpassed its episode count in 2019.

Cast members, including Margulies, will virtually reunite to benefit the Waterkeeper Alliance tomorrow (April 22).