George Clooney reveals he filmed a scene for the 1996 romantic comedy One Fine Day opposite Michelle Pfeiffer while still drunk from a night out. The largely forgettable movie was notable for being one of Clooney's first major romantic lead roles, starring opposite Pfeiffer, who at the time was still one of the major leading ladies in Hollywood. The movie followed the lead pair of single parents on a frantic day in New York City as they attempt to take care of their children (Mae Whitman and Alex D. Linz).
The movie didn't set the box office alight. Still, Clooney and Pfeiffer shone despite the fairly uninspiring script. Their on-screen chemistry proves that Clooney had what it took to be an A-list movie star, with the actor having also transitioned into a successful career as a director. The movie is also notable for being one of the first to feature extensive use of cell phones as a central plot point, with the main characters inadvertently swapping phones and having to find a way to reconnect. Still, it's not considered a classic, something Clooney seems to have realized while he was shooting it, with a new story illustrating he didn't take his role as seriously as he could have.
Speaking to Pfeiffer for a Variety interview celebrating One Fine Day's 25th anniversary, Clooney tells the story of how he turned up on set drunk one morning. The actor-director says he went out in New York City one night with friend Rande Gerber and arrived home at 1 am. When he woke up for shooting at 5 am, he realized he was still drunk and turned up on set a little worse for wear. He says Pfeiffer realized straight away, and the actress adds that he smelled like a distillery. You can read the full story below:
Clooney: I was in New York, I was staying at the Morgans Hotel, and my friend Rande Gerber, who is my partner now in the tequila company — I had the day off. So I had a few drinks. We stayed up and had a few vodkas or something. Then I came home at 1 in the morning, and I’m like, "Oh shit." I was pretty hammered. I woke up at 5 in the morning. I was like, “I feel OK.” Then I looked in the mirror, and I was like, "Oh, I’m still drunk." I got to the set, and we walked to the trailer and I sat down and you looked at me. You go, "What?" And I was like, "I didn’t know we were going to work today." And you go, "You’re still drunk." It’s a scene we did in a oner where you and I are talking back and forth to each other. I kept trying to spray whatever mouth spray I could because I smelled like a —
Pfeiffer: Like a brewery.
Clooney: Like a distillery.
The story not only reveals Clooney's level of commitment to the role but is also a reflection of the actor's persona at that time. Clooney was 35 while filming One Fine Day and in the prime of his rabble-rousing days. For a long time in the 1990s, Clooney was well known for his hard-partying, womanizing ways, something that only really stopped when he met his now-wife, Amal Clooney, in the 2010s. He has now settled down and has twin children with the human rights lawyer.
As far as One Fine Day is concerned, Clooney's drunk day on set didn't seem to affect his performance, and he and Pfeiffer are clearly having a good time in the film. For her part, Pfeiffer doesn't seem to be angry about Clooney turning up drunk to the set one day, despite being an executive producer on the film, as well as his co-star. It's also likely that this isn't the only time Clooney has appeared on set under the influence, given his reputation and love of tequila.
Source: Variety