George Clooney is opening up about appearing on an episode of The Golden Girls, saying the late Bea Arthur had inimitable comedic chops.
‘She made me laugh harder than anybody,’ the Oscar-winning actor, 64, said of Arthur in a teaser clip for the special The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship – Special Edition of 20/20.
The Lexington, Kentucky-born actor appeared on an episode titled To Catch a Neighbor, which initially aired May 2, 1987, playing opposite Arthur, who he dubbed the ‘master of the look.’
The Oscar-winning Syriana star played an undercover cop named Bobby Hopkins on the 24th episode of second season of the NBC series.
The show, which ran from 1985 thru 1992, starred the late Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak; the late Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo; the late Betty White as Rose Nylund; and the late Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux.
The storyline of the episode Clooney appeared on saw him as a detective team with Detective Al Mullins (played by the late Joseph Campanella), as they had to do a stakeout from the Miami home the four main characters resided in.
George Clooney, 64, is opening up about appearing on an episode of The Golden Girls, saying the late Bea Arthur had inimitable comedic chops. Pictured in Poland last month
The Oscar-winning Syriana star played an undercover cop named Bobby Hopkins on the 24th episode of second season of the popular NBC series.
Amid their monitoring of the neighbors, who they thought were stealing jewelry, Clooney’s character would ultimately get shot while trying to arrest them; with the four main characters visiting him in the hospital as he recovered.
Clooney spoke about the appearance on a 2022 edition of The Drew Barrymore Show.
‘Bea Arthur was the funniest person in the world,’ Clooney said. ‘They were all hysterically funny, but Bea Arthur really made me laugh.’
Clooney described the late comedic actress as ‘filthy, filthy funny – filthy – but great.’
Clooney added that the show’s stars and writers were sly in slipping through risque humor that would have been heavily scrutinized elsewhere.
‘They could get away with stuff that if those women were 30, they could’ve never said on network television,’ Clooney said. ‘But they could do anything they wanted, and they would get away with it. It was so much fun.’
Joining the Ocean’s Eleven star in the retrospective on the classic series includes Sheryl Lee Ralph, Laverne Cox, Kelly Ripa, Mario Lopez.
‘Who wasn’t a fan of The Golden Girls?’ Ralph said in the preview.
The series, which ran from 1985 thru 1992 on NBC, starred (L-R) Rue McClanahan, Betty White, the late Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty
The A-list actor said of the late Bea Arthur, ‘She made me laugh harder than anybody’
The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship – Special Edition of 20/20 airs November 11 on ABC
Prior to his breakout on the series ER, Clooney appeared on a number of notable TV shows of the 80s and 90s.
They included 17 episodes of The Facts of Life; 11 episodes of Roseanne; and two episodes of Murder, She Wrote.
The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship – Special Edition of 20/20 airs November 11 on ABC and begins streaming on Disney+ and Hulu November 12.
‘The special chronicles the making of The Golden Girls, from its early inception and pilot episode to becoming one of the most treasured shows in television history,’ a logline read.
It continued: ‘At a time when Hollywood heavily favored youth, The Golden Girls famously put four older women … front and center, using uninhibited comedy to rewrite the narrative for women over 50.
‘Often tackling taboo and groundbreaking topics, the sitcom redefined aging, while its timeless appeal has attracted new audiences and created a lasting influence on pop culture.’
