SUMMARY
  • Sandra Bullock has played some of the best roles including a political strategist in Our Brand is Crisis.
  • She clarified that she had not stolen the role from George Clooney with a humorous response.
  • Clooney and Bullock met each other much before they starred together in the space drama Gravity.

Sandra Bullock is one of the most versatile actresses in the industry. From a lonely transit worker who gets caught up in a mistaken-identity romance in While You Were Sleeping to a mother fighting to protect her children from a mysterious force in Bird Box, she has played a variety of roles in her career spanning over three decades.

Sandra Bullock in the movie The Blind Side
Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side | Source: Warner Bros. Pictures

Bullock portrayed a political strategist in 2015’s Our Brand Is Crisis. The role was originally written for her Gravity co-star George Clooney, so many assumed that she had stolen it from him. When asked about the same, the Academy Award-winning actress gave a rather humorous response.

Did Sandra Bullock Steal George Clooney’s Role in Our Band is Crisis?

A still from Our Brand is Crisis | Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
A still from Our Brand is Crisis | Source: Warner Bros. Pictures

Our Brand is Crisis is a fictionalized version of the eponymous documentary, released in 2005. It follows the story of a retired world-class political strategist, Jane Bodine, who is given a chance to redeem herself when she is approached to handle the political campaign of a Bolivian presidential candidate.

In 2007, Variety reported that George Clooney was going to produce the dark comedy. At the time it was assumed that he would star in the movie. However, the project did not come to fruition until years later when Bullock took on the role of the film’s protagonist.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, The Proposal star revealed that it was initially written for Clooney. She further said:

About two and a half years ago I put out feelers saying, ‘I’m not reading anything I’m excited about. Are there any male roles out there that [the filmmakers] don’t mind switching to female?’

She was impressed with the film’s script and reached out to those involved in the making. When asked if she had stolen the role from Clooney, she told Today:

He, at the time, was not attached to this film to play the role. I’ll steal something from George, it just wasn’t this role. I’ll steal other things from George, like maybe a house in Italy… in a heartbeat.

Rest assured, Bullock did not steal the role from Clooney. In fact, the duo were executive producers of the film. The former even starred as the sister of the latter’s character, Danny Ocean, in Ocean’s 8, a spin-off of the Ocean’s franchise. However, they did not cross paths in the film.

Sandra Bullock and George Clooney Have Been Friends for Years

A still from Gravity | Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
A still from Gravity | Source: Warner Bros. Pictures

Bullock and Clooney might have made their first movie together in the early 2010s, but this was not the first time they had met. In fact, the duo’s friendship dates back to a time when they were just starting out in show business.

During an interview with Glamour, the Two Weeks Notice actress revealed how they became friends while Clooney was setting her up with someone.

I met George at a party where he was doing Buddy Hackett imitations! George was the reason the guy that I ended up dating dated me. He was like, “If you don’t get with her, I’m gonna get with her.” He was kidding, but sort of pushing. So we’ve all known each other for umpteen-chillion years and have supported each other from afar.

The Batman & Robin star truly does seem to be the biggest cheerleader for all of his friends whether it is Bullock or his other longtime friend Brad Pitt, with whom he has made quite a few projects.

Our Brand is Crisis is available for renting on Apple TV.

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