George Clooney is recalling a harrowing experience that nearly took his life. The incident took place in 2018 while filming for the miniseries "Catch-22." Clooney was riding his motorcycle at 70 mph when he collided with another vehicle. Recounting the near-death experience to The Independent, "The Midnight Sky" actor said he "thought that was it" for him.
"I got lucky there," he said. "I flipped through the air and ended up landing on my knees. I could have landed on any other part of my body and been dead."
Clooney was taken to hospital but discharged hours later after it was determined that his injuries were not serious. He said there was a lesson in the experience.
"You learn you're not allowed to ride motorcycles. My wife said 'That's enough.'"
Clooney said this was not his first near-death experience. He had another close call in South Sudan.
"I had one time in South Sudan where we got pulled over and had guns stuck to our heads," he said. "They wanted to rob our truck."
Clooney is known for fully committing himself to filming, even if it puts his life in danger. The 59-year-old star was recently rushed to the hospital after he lost roughly 28 pounds for his role in "The Midnight Sky."
The actor, who had very little weight to shed, plays a cancer-riddled scientist in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi film. In preparation for the role, he went on an extreme weight loss program but ended up in the hospital with pancreatitis four days before production was meant to start in the Arctic. Clooney believes his eating habits were to blame.
"I think I was trying too hard to lose the weight quickly and probably wasn't taking care of myself," he told the U.K.'s Mirror. "It took a few weeks to get better and as a director it's not so easy because you need energy," Clooney added.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.