George Clooney Admits He Endured Long-Term Pain and Spent Years on Prescription Painkillers After a 12

He is known for his charm, wit, and enviable Hollywood career — but behind the scenes, the "Oceans Twelve" actor lived through a decade of agony that nearly changed everything. George Clooney has opened up about the excruciating pain that followed a spinal injury nearly two decades ago — an ordeal that left him dependent on prescription medication for years. A Life-Altering Injury on Set and a Long Road to RecoveryIn an interview with Esquire, it was revealed that while filming "Syriana" in 2005, the Oscar-winning actor suffered two small tears in his spine that caused spinal fluid to leak, resulting in severe headaches and nerve pain. Doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles performed a twelve-hour surgery on Christmas Eve to repair the damage. Clooney later described the pai