George Clooney denied accusations by former “ER” actress Vanessa Marquez that he helped to have her blacklisted after she reported suffering sexual and racial harassment on the set of the NBC medical drama.
“I had no idea Vanessa was blacklisted,” Clooney said in a statement to TheWrap on Friday. “I take her at her word. I was not a writer or a producer or a director on that show. I had nothing to do with casting. I was an actor and only an actor.”
The actor, who starred as Doug Ross on the series for five seasons, denied having any influence on casting the show or on Marquez’s career. “If she was told I was involved in any decision about her career then she was lied to,” he said. “The fact that I couldn’t affect her career is only surpassed by the fact that I wouldn’t.”
Marquez accused the cast and producers of “ER” of conspiring to have her blacklisted after she reported being sexually harassed and being discriminated against on the basis of race.
“B.S.” she tweeted in response to Clooney’s condemnation of Harvey Weinstein last week. “Clooney helped blacklist me when I spoke up [about] harassment on ER. ‘Women who don’t play the game lose career’ I did.”
Marquez, who portrayed Nurse Wendy Goldman in 27 episodes of the series between 1994 and 1997, accused Eriq La Salle and a camera operator of being “p—– grabbers,” which she said she reported to showrunner John Wells and to the show’s production company, Warner Bros. Reps for La Salle, John Wells and Warner Bros. have not responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Her accusation came after Clooney spoke out against Weinstein, the powerhouse producer who has been accused of sexual harassment and rape by multiple women, in an interview with The Daily Beast. Clooney, who worked with Weinstein on his breakout film role in “From Dusk Til Dawn,” called the producer’s alleged behavior “indefensible.”