Julianne Margulies reveals she scored iconic 'ER' role with 'rude' attitude

Julianna Margulies revealed how her rude behaviour during the ER audition unexpectedly led to her breakout role as Carol Hathaway.

During an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the actress recounted the moment that if she hadn’t gotten "pissed" during her audition, she might never have landed the role at all.

"What happened was I was in L.A. visiting a boyfriend," Margulies, 58, explained. "I had three auditions that day, and being that I grew up with a hippie, crazy, wonderful mother who was always late... I'm usually early because I never want to keep anyone waiting."

But when she arrived at the audition, she found herself in a room full of about 50 people and the session running two hours behind schedule. "I was pissed," the Good Wife alum admitted.

As she began to storm out in frustration, the casting director called her name. "I rolled my eyes like, 'Oh really'," the actress recalled. "So, I went in to audition for a recurring character, but I was so pissed off that I did it rudely, a little New York anger. I knew I'd flunked."

Thinking she'd blown the audition, Margulies prepared to leave. But the casting director stopped her. "They said, 'You’re not right for that part,' and I was like, 'Ya think?'" she laughed. "But then they said, 'You might be right for this head nurse, Carol Hathaway. She dies in the pilot, but could you come back and read for that?'"

Margulies went back in, reading for Hathaway with a lot of attitude. "And I got the role!" she exclaimed, prompting cheers from the audience.

Margulies’ portrayal of Hathaway, the primary love interest of George Clooney’s Dr Doug Ross, became a fan favourite. She left ER in 2000 after six seasons.