Posted 3 minutes agoI'll Never Watch "ER" The Same Way After Learning These 20 Behind-The-Scenes FactsCan you imagine ER premiering in the '70s?by Eden Arielle GordonBuzzFeed ContributorFacebookPinterestLink ER is one of TV's most iconic and beloved medical dramas. It's inspired many people to become healthcare professionals, features countless unforgettably dramatic moments, and overall has had a permanent impact on TV. HBO / Via hbomax.com However, your parents' favorite show got off to a bit of a rocky start. It took 20 years to make it to the air and sparked doubt among NBC executives early on. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC / Via tenor.com Here are 20 facts you might not know about the making of the series. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC / Via tenor.com 1. ER was originally supposed to be a movie directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Michael Crichton. NBC / Via hbomax.com The original concept for ER was a movie that followed an emergency room over a 24-hour period. It was supposed to be directed by Steven Spielberg with a script written by Michael Crichton. 2. The pilot that eventually aired in 1994 was almost the same as the screenplay Crichton wrote in the 1970s. NBC / Via hbomax.com However, it did make changes around casting, which had originally consisted of five white male doctors. 3. George Clooney "begged" for his part. NBC / Via hbomax.com "George Clooney begged me for a part ... George was the first person to audition. He came after me for it," executive producer John Wells said. "Our second day in the office, George showed up and wouldn't leave until I'd let him audition ... George got his hands on the material and was like a dog with a bone." 4. Carol was supposed to die after the first episode. NBC / Via hbomax.com The nurse was intended to appear only in the pilot, but audiences responded well to her character, and she wound up becoming one of the show's most beloved fixtures.
Apparently, George Clooney was part of her decision to stick around, as she'd been considering accepting another part on a sitcom until he contacted her after the pilot premiered. "He called me out of the blue, kinda put his neck out on the line for me, and said, 'I overheard that your character tested well...
If I were you, I wouldn't take another job because I think they're going to bring you back to life," Julianna Margulies said, per E! News. 5. The first episode was shot in a rumored haunted hospital. NBC / Via hbomax.com The pilot was shot in what was once the Linda Vista Hospital in Los Angeles, which has also been featured on the TV show From Beyond, where paranormal investigators said they had been "grabbed and scratched" while inside. Perhaps that's why the team quickly changed their filming location to a set at the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank. 6. The cast often pranked each other on set. NBC / Via hbomax.com Just like real doctors and nurses sometimes play jokes to keep things light in hospitals, the ER cast had their fair share of prank-related fun. Anthony Edwards told People that the cast would sometimes put Vaseline on phones, and once, a baby in a delivery scene was replaced with an alien - which shocked a guest star, to say the least. "When she gave birth and we'd been bringing up this fake baby, we brought up the alien baby," he said. "I never heard someone scream as loud as she did at this green baby." 7. ER often took inspiration from real-life surgeries. NBC / Via hbomax.com The writers and creators sometimes visited hospitals around Los Angeles for inspiration, and drew some of the show's plots from real emergencies. They also consulted real doctors and nurses who checked to make sure all the medical procedures and conditions were being portrayed correctly. 8. The cast took four yearly trips to Chicago. NBC / Via hbomax.com Most of the show was filmed in Los Angeles, but exterior scenes had to be shot in Chicago. And sometimes actors had to shoot their scenes without even knowing the context, since many of the scenes weren't fully written when they were filming the Chicago shots. 9. George Clooney sometimes wrote his lines down on clipboards. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF NBC / Via tenor.com ER's use of medical jargon was one of the show's most notorious fixtures, but it wasn't always easy for the actors to memorize. George Clooney apparently used a workaround where he often wrote down lines on his clipboards and other props. 10. Noah Wyle rejected just one storyline. NBC / Via hbomax.com Noah Wyle starred in 254 episodes of ER, but he only nixed one storyline - a romance between him and medical student Lucy. "I had such a huge problem with it. The script originally had us having sex in one of the exam rooms, and somebody walking in on us. I had a big problem with it," he told Entertainment Weekly, saying she felt like his "little sister." Eventually, the storyline was changed so the two shared just one kiss. 11. Noah Wyle was sick with mono during the filming of Love's Labo