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.
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?
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
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.
Frequently asked questions
Did Sandra Bullock take a role originally meant for George Clooney?
In a sense, yes. Bullock plays Jane Bodine, a burned-out political strategist, in 2015’s Our Brand Is Crisis (directed by David Gordon Green for Warner Bros.). When the project was first reported back in 2007, her Gravity co-star George Clooney was set to produce it with Grant Heslov and was attached as a potential director and star. The lead was originally written as a man; after years in development, the part was rewritten as a woman when Bullock came aboard, so she did not literally take a finished role away from Clooney.
What did Sandra Bullock say when asked if she stole the role from Clooney?
She answered playfully, noting that Clooney was never attached to the film as an actor, so no acting role was actually taken from him: “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.” Clooney and Grant Heslov are credited as producers on the film, and Bullock was reportedly involved as a producer as well, so the project was very much a shared effort rather than a heist.
How long have Sandra Bullock and George Clooney been friends?
Their friendship goes back well before the 2013 film Gravity. Bullock told Glamour they met at a party where Clooney was doing Buddy Hackett impressions, and that he even helped set her up with a man she went on to date, reportedly saying, “If you don’t get with her, I’m gonna get with her.” They later both appeared in the 2018 heist film Ocean’s 8 as siblings Debbie and Danny Ocean, though their characters never share a scene on screen.
