London:
Hollywood star George Clooney says playing the role of a “male prostitute drug dealer” in a play, “Vicious”, made him realise he was made for acting.
The 54-year-old star said it was when he acted in “Vicious”, he thought he should not be “embarrassed” about his acting dreams, reported Female First.
“In those days, most small theatre was as much a showcase as anything else. No one would have tape of themselves unless they’d gotten work on a show or a film. So agents and casting directors would come to the plays regularly to look for actors -- that’s how it worked.
“I got an agent from it. I got guest shots on TV shows from it. I got my sag card from it. I always look back at that play as the turning point for me. Later we took it to the Steppenwolf Theatre. It was really a terrific play! That was the first time I really felt like, ‘OK, I’m in the right business, and I shouldn’t be embarrassed about everything I do.’,” Clooney recalled.
Though he described the play as “incredibly brutal”, his role provided the light relief and marked the first time the actor was singled out for his performance in reviews.
“I played a male prostitute drug dealer and I was the comedy relief, believe it or not. It’s not often you get reviewed—it was really nice just to be reviewed. You do all these little plays and then you get reviewed! It was the first play where I was singled out in reviews. Both Variety and the Hollywood Reporter,” he said.
