They were the ultimate late-nineties power duo. You had George Clooney, the suave, silver-fox-in-waiting who’d just escaped the ER scrubs, and Mark Wahlberg, the Dorchester kid working overtime to scrub the "Marky Mark" scent off his resume. When they shared the screen in Three Kings (1999) and then hit the high seas for The Perfect Storm (2000), it felt like we were watching the birth of a lifelong cinematic partnership.
Then, the projects just... stopped.
It’s been over two decades since they headlined a movie together. For a while, there was this weird, lingering silence that made people wonder if they’d secretly fallen out on some remote movie set. Honestly, in a town where ego is the primary export, you’d be forgiven for thinking they’d traded blows during a night of heavy drinking or had a falling out over a shared love interest.
But the truth is way more "Hollywood" than that. It wasn't about a punch-up or a stolen girlfriend. It was about a $20 bill, a missed opportunity, and the cold reality of how movie stars are made.
The $20 Slap in the Face (Or Just a Bad Bet)
If you want to know where the George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg timeline hit a snag, you have to look at the casting of Ocean’s Eleven. By 2001, Clooney was the king of the "ensemble heist" vibe. He and Steven Soderbergh were putting together a roster that looked like a fantasy football draft for A-listers.
Clooney famously sent Julia Roberts a $20 bill with a note saying, "I hear you get 20 a picture now," poking fun at her record-breaking $20 million salary. She thought it was hilarious and signed on.
But when the team reached out to Wahlberg for the role of Linus Caldwell—the talented but green pickpocket—the vibe was different. Wahlberg turned it down. So did Johnny Depp. They passed on what would become one of the most successful franchises of the decade.
Matt Damon eventually stepped into those shoes, and let’s be real, that role basically cemented Damon’s status as a top-tier lead. Years later, in 2023, Clooney didn't hold back at a TCM Film Festival panel. He joked that Wahlberg and Depp "regret it now." He even added a little sting, saying, "I regret doing Batman, so it’s a wash."
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It wasn't a feud, but it was a fork in the road. Wahlberg chose to go his own way, chasing leading-man status in Planet of the Apes and The Italian Job, while Clooney leaned into the "coolest guy in the room" brand with his rotating cast of famous friends.
The "Miserable F--k" on the Set of Three Kings
You can't talk about these two without mentioning the chaos of Three Kings. This wasn't a standard war movie. It was a messy, experimental, gritty satire directed by David O. Russell.
If you’ve followed movie gossip for more than five minutes, you know Russell has a reputation for being... difficult. On this set, "difficult" meant Clooney and Russell eventually got into a physical altercation. Clooney was defending the crew and extras from Russell’s verbal outbursts.
Wahlberg was stuck in the middle.
"I had said for a long time that I would never play a Boston-bred character," Wahlberg once said about his early career, trying to distance himself from his roots. But Clooney saw something in him. Clooney actually acted like a big brother to Mark back then. He was the one who sent a tape of Wahlberg to director Wolfgang Petersen to get him hired for The Perfect Storm.
Clooney basically hand-delivered Wahlberg his first massive blockbuster role.
Puking and Pranking on The Perfect Storm
While the Three Kings set was a war zone, The Perfect Storm was just wet.
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The two spent months on a gimbal (a giant hydraulic platform) being pelted with thousands of gallons of water. It was miserable. To pass the time, Clooney did what Clooney does: he pranked the hell out of everyone.
There's a classic story from the set where Clooney kept insisting Wahlberg was "not good at keeping his insides inside." Basically, Wahlberg spent a week puking his guts out. Mark claimed it was food poisoning. Clooney told every journalist who would listen that it was just a "queasy stomach" and that Mark couldn't handle the motion.
"George is such an ass," Wahlberg laughed during the 2000 press tour.
There was even a rumor that the two had bought a house together in the Hollywood Hills during the height of their bromance. They hadn't, obviously. But the media was so obsessed with their chemistry—part big brother mentorship, part competitive rivalry—that people were willing to believe almost anything.
Where Do They Stand in 2026?
It is January 2026, and The Perfect Storm is currently having a massive "Netflix effect" moment, sitting in the Top 10 on streaming platforms. People are rediscovering that raw, pre-CGI-dominance chemistry they had.
So, do they hate each other?
No. But they aren't exactly grabbing dinner at Lake Como every weekend either.
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Wahlberg’s career took a hard turn into business and fitness. He’s the guy waking up at 4:00 AM to pray and hit the gym, building a "Wahlburgers" empire and selling tequila. Clooney, meanwhile, has become the elder statesman of Hollywood—directing, producing, and picking his acting roles with extreme precision.
Their lives just don't overlap anymore.
When Wahlberg’s mother, Alma, met Clooney on set back in 1999, she was so smitten that she kept a photo of him on her wall. Mark later joked that she liked that picture more than photos of her own kids. That's the vibe of their relationship: a weird, distant family connection that hasn't been nurtured in years.
What Most People Get Wrong About the "Split"
The biggest misconception is that there was some dramatic "event" that ended their partnership.
In reality, Hollywood is just like high school. You have your best friends for a couple of semesters, you do everything together, and then you graduate. You go to different colleges. You don't "break up," you just stop calling.
Wahlberg wanted to be the #1 guy on the call sheet. You can't be the #1 guy when you're standing next to George Clooney; you’re always the "kid brother." To get out of that shadow, Mark had to stop making movies with George.
Why Their Legacy Still Matters
- They defined the "New Hollywood" Transition: They bridged the gap between the 90s star era and the 2000s franchise era.
- The Mentor Dynamic: Clooney’s support of Wahlberg early on shows a side of the industry we rarely see—established stars actually pulling up the next generation.
- The "Ocean's" What-If: If Wahlberg had said yes to Ocean's Eleven, he might have become a completely different kind of actor—less "action hero" and more "ensemble player."
If you’re looking to dive deeper into this era of film, your best move is to watch Three Kings and The Perfect Storm back-to-back. Look at the way they play off each other. It’s a masterclass in contrasting energy: Clooney’s calculated stillness vs. Wahlberg’s nervous, kinetic energy.
You should also check out Clooney’s 2023 interview with TCM. It’s the most honest he’s ever been about the casting regrets of that era. It’s a rare look at how a single "no" can change the trajectory of two of the biggest careers in entertainment history.
Next Steps for Film Buffs
- Watch the 2023 TCM Panel: Search for "George Clooney TCM Film Festival 2023" to hear his first-hand accounts of the Ocean's casting.
- Compare the "Linus" Role: Watch The Italian Job (2003) and Ocean's Eleven (2001) back-to-back to see the two different paths Wahlberg and Damon took.
- Fact Check the Feud: Look into the Playboy interview from 2000 where Clooney first detailed the David O. Russell fight; it sets the stage for why that era was so volatile.