LAURA INNES, actress: "I have to give my vote to Tony Edwards. He's sexy because he's a real, authentic person."

--November 1997, in regards to who she would choose for Sexiest Man in America.

"The rap on George is that he's this rake, this guy's guy," says ER's Laura Innes. "That's true, but he is also a dear, loyal friend who would do anything for you. It's almost like being a family member."

--November 1997, talking about George Clooney, one of the Sexiest Men in America in People Magazine

Clooney's absence may still feel like desertion to viewers who made the show an overnight hit when it premiered in 1994 and who instantly zeroed in on Clooney as Doctor Dreamboat, the guy with the powerful jaw and an unusually potent charm. It all worked like magic, certainly, on Laura Innes when she joined the show as Dr. Kerry Weaver in 1995: "I was just like, 'Well, I'm a very logical person -- but God! He is really beautiful.'"

[Later in the article...]
If you want a second opinion, ask around ER, where Clooney seems to have been a Galahad among the gurneys. "George is in a very powerful position," says Innes, "and he could be a jerk, or he could be a hero. Usually he's the hero."

--February 22, 1999, in an article about George Clooney's departure from ER, in People Magazine Online