The Oscar-winning actor has praised France’s strict privacy laws, saying his children enjoy a “much better life” without paparazzi.
George Clooney’s love affair with France just got official.
The Hollywood star, along with his wife Amal and their eight-year-old twins, Ella and Alexander, has been granted French citizenship, according to an official decree published in France’s Journal Officiel.
The move formalises what Clooney had already been hinting at earlier this month, when he publicly praised France’s strict privacy laws and its resistance to paparazzi culture.
"Here, they don’t take photos of kids. There aren’t any paparazzi hidden at the school gates,” he told RTL radio. "That’s number one for us."
Despite 400 days of French lessons, he admitted - speaking in English - his language skills still need work.
Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, who speaks fluent French, was naturalised under her maiden name, Amal Alamuddin, while Clooney’s full name appears as George Timothy Clooney.
The couple bought their home in southern France - a former wine estate known as the Domaine du Canadel near the village of Brignoles - in 2021. Clooney has since described it as their primary residence, saying the decision was driven by concerns about raising children in Los Angeles.
“I was worried about raising our kids in LA, in the culture of Hollywood,” he told Esquire magazine. "I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids."
Growing up away from the spotlight in France, "they’re not on their iPads, you know?" he said. "They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life."
Aside from France, Clooney has owned a villa on Italy’s Lake Como since 2002 and the couple also have a historic manor in England, alongside properties in New York and Kentucky.
"Escape from the United States"
Clooney may soon be joined by the award-winning American filmmaker Jim Jarmusch who's recently expressed his desire to become French in frustration at Donald Trump's 'war' on culture.
Speaking to France Inter radio, the 72-year-old director who won the top Golden Lion award for best film at Venice this year with his latest work, Father Mother Sister Brother revealed that he's beginning the process to obtain French nationality in order to "escape from the United States."
"I'm a little late, but yes it's underway. France, Paris and French culture are very profound" he said when addressing his love of the country in which he's often featured in his work. "I'd be very honoured to have a French passport", he added.
Sentiments shared by the British writer Ken Follett who obtained French nationality last month for completely different reasons and said “Why do I love France so much? French literature, cuisine, wine, fashion – but above all, the French people.”
Follett is the author of 38 novels and has sold more than 17 million copies in France and more than 198 million worldwide.
In a statement, the French embassy said "Ken Follett’s attachment to our country is significant and goes back many years. In particular, since 2019 he has been deeply involved in the issues of restoring Notre-Dame de Paris and Dol-de-Bretagne cathedrals.
