Which Sandra Bullock Role Does George Clooney Wish He’d Played? You Might Be Surprised

George Clooney readily admitted that Sandra Bullock’s starring role in Our Brand Is Crisis was originally written for a man. Clooney himself was slated to play the part of a political operative, but the script sat on a shelf because of scheduling conflicts. Clooney, who produced the film, agreed to make the role female after Bullock reached out to him.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Clooney told an audience at the Toronto International Film Festival that some gender issues in Hollywood could be solved if people thought creatively and swapped the gender roles of characters.

People asked Clooney what role of Bullock’s he’d wished he played. Showing off his legendary wit, he chose the comedy where Bullock played an unlikely beauty pageant contestant.

“I think we all know it’s ‘Miss Congeniality.’ I mean, I didn’t even have to answer it because you were thinking it.”

After Bullock jokingly complimented Clooney’s legs, George boasted about his beach body…. to a point.

“And I rock a swimsuit better than almost anybody. Well, a one-piece. Bikinis, you know… I’m 54.”

In Miss Congeniality, Bullock’s character was an FBI agent who had to enter the Miss United States contest to infiltrate a potential bomber.

Our Brand Is Crisis is based on a documentary of the same name. Produced by Clooney and Grant Heslov, it is billed as political satire.

Bullock and Clooney starred together most recently in Gravity. Clooney’s character dies early on in the film, which means his time on-set was limited. Bullock told Variety prior to the movie’s 2013 release that it was an emotional adjustment to film most of her scenes solo after his departure.

“Every single day. When George (Clooney) came, it was like an energy force and I was so appreciative of him being there. And when he left, I have never been hit with a depression like that. We had so much fun for three weeks, but then my friend left. I was amazed at how I was affected by him going.”

Our Brand Is Crisis received high-profile reviews after its TIFF premiere. Overall, the reaction was mixed.

The Guardian offered Bullock praise for her performance, although the paper only gave the film 3 stars out of 5. Variety called the film something of a “mess,” although Bullock’s character Jane Bodine “is easily one of the best female roles of the last 10 years.”

Our Brand Is Crisis is set for an October 30 release.

[Photo by Jason Merritt / Getty Images Entertainment]