'The Midnight Sky': George Clooney's weight loss for new role landed him in hospital

Watch: George Clooney's 'The Midnight Sky' weight loss landed him in the hospital

George Clooney has revealed he was taken to hospital with excruciating stomach pains after losing almost two stone for his latest film.

The Hollywood actor both directs and stars in Netflix sci-fi movie The Midnight Sky, playing a lone scientist trying to warn a returning spaceship of catastrophe on Earth.

To prepare for the role of a post-apocalyptic survivor, Clooney, 59, embarked on a weight loss drive but was diagnosed with pancreatitis and suspects his diet may have played a part.

He told the Mirror: “I think I was trying too hard to lose the weight quickly and probably wasn’t taking care of myself.”

Clooney, in his first film role since 2016, added: “It took a few weeks to get better and as a director it’s not so easy because you need energy.

“We were out on this glacier in Finland, which made it a lot harder work. But it certainly helped with the character. This is bigger than anything I’ve done before and it was like herding cats to get it done. But, you know, it was fun.”

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The Midnight Sky is based Lily Brooks-Dalton’s acclaimed 2016 novel Good Morning, Midnight.

Clooney plays astronomer Augustine Lofthouse, stricken with illness and alone in a deserted Arctic observatory station.

The film also stars British actress Felicity Jones, who shot the film while pregnant. Clooney rewrote the script to accommodate her condition.

The Midnight Sky will be in select UK cinemas and on Netflix from December 23.

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