Video: George Clooney Talks 'Nerve-Wracking' Broadway Debut
The play, which is now running at the Winter Garden Theatre, recently broke records as the highest-grossing Broadway play of all time.
By: Josh Sharpe Apr. 21, 2025
CBS' Road to the Tonys series continues with George Clooney, who has recently made his Broadway debut with the new play Good Night, and Good Luck. In the play, the acclaimed actor stars as Edward R. Murrow, the famed broadcaster who worked to combat McCarthyism in the 1950s.
"There is a huge responsibility with these words because they're Edward R. Murrow's words," Clooney admitted during the segment, calling the experience "nerve-wracking." "There are a lot of people in that audience who know those speeches by heart."
Despite the events of the play happening seven decades in the past, Clooney believes that the themes of the material, such as the threat to freedom of the press, for example, will always remain relevant in the world. "It's about speaking true to power, and it's important to remember that we reserve the power of the press because it has to be the check and balance against corruption [and] against government incursion," said Clooney. The play, which is now running at the Winter Garden Theatre, recently broke records as the highest-grossing Broadway play of all time. Watch the full segment now.
Based on the film of the same name distributed by Warner Bros. and written by the same authors, the following actors will be portraying real life figures alongside Mr. Clooney as Murrow: Mac Brandt as Colonel Anderson, Will Dagger as Don Hewitt, Christopher Denham as John Aaron, Glenn Fleshler as Fred Friendly, Ilana Glazer as Shirley Wershba, Clark Gregg as Don Hollenbeck, Paul Gross as William S. Paley, Georgia Heers as Ella, Carter Hudson as Joe Wershba, Fran Kranz as Palmer Williams, Jennifer Morris as Millie Green, Michael Nathanson as Eddie Scott, Andrew Polk as Charlie Mack, Aaron Roman Weiner as Don Surine with R. Ward Duffy, Joe Forbrich, Imani Rousselle, Greg Stuhr, JD Taylor, and Sophia Tzougros rounding out the ensemble.
In Good Night, and Good Luck, we tune in to the golden age of broadcast journalism and Edward R. Murrow’s legendary, history-altering, on-air showdown with Senator Joseph McCarthy. As McCarthyism casts a shadow over America, Murrow and his news team choose to confront the growing tide of paranoia and propaganda, even if it means turning the federal government and a worried nation against them. The play chronicles a time in American history when truth and journalistic integrity stood up to fearmongering and disinformation—and won.
