George Clooney is balancing work mode, putting in the hours for two performances a day six times a week, with a bit of fun and celebration.
The actor, 63, earned his very first nomination for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for his turn as Edward R. Murrow in the stage adaptation of Good Night, and Good Luck.
The play, marking George's Broadway debut, earned five Tony nominations in total, with one for its acting and another four for the stage design, lighting, scenic design and costuming.
© Getty ImagesThe Oscar-winning star made the move to New York City last year with his wife Amal Clooney and their seven-year-old twins Ella and Alexander to begin rehearsals for the show, playing for a limited engagement until June 8.
The actor celebrated his big milestone by participating in a Broadway tradition that very morning — the Broadway Show League, a softball competition among the biggest shows in theaters right now.
After making headlines with first photos from his trip to the batting cages at Central Park days before Tony nominations were announced, George returned to the diamond for another go at the sport on Good Night, and Good Luck's team, playing against the team from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
© Getty ImagesGeorge went for a navy blue polo this time around, pairing it with grey sweat shorts, with a pair of black compression shorts underneath, a baseball cap and his new shock of brunette locks.
The Syriana star was seen enthusiastically running and cheering on his team while hitting home runs himself, with ardent fans in the background recording him and the rest of the play through the cage. The actor dyed his hair a deep shade of brown to take on the role of the veteran CBS journalist, an adaptation of the 2005 movie he co-wrote, directed and starred in.
George shared a statement following his nomination, which read: "It's a thrill to have five nominations for this play. For everyone involved, this has been an incredible experience. I couldn't be more proud or feel more lucky."
© Getty ImagesThe father-of-two will go up in his category against Jon Michael Hill and Harry Lennix, both for Purpose, Daniel Dae Kim for Yellowface, Louis McCartney for Stranger Things: The First Shadow, and the early favorite, Cole Escola for Oh, Mary!.
This year's Tonys will be held on June 8. Maybe Happy Ending, Buena Vista Social Club and Death Becomes Her are all tied with the night's most nominations at 10 apiece. The most nominated plays are The Hills of California and John Proctor is the Villain, with seven nods each.
© Getty ImagesThis season's acting nominees represent a much more celebrity-heavy bunch than usual, with the permeation of bigger names onto the Broadway stage like Jake Gyllenhaal, Denzel Washington and Kieran Culkin.
Among the A-list nominees, Nicole Scherzinger received her first for her celebrated turn in Sunset Blvd., Sarah Snook earned a nod for The Picture of Dorian Gray, as did Mia Farrow for The Roommate and Bob Odenkirk for Glengarry Glen Ross.
