Bienvenue … les Clooneys.
Photo: James Manning/PA Images/Getty Images
France lost one icon in Brigitte Bardot but gained a much less controversial one when George Clooney — along with his wife, Amal, and their twins — was awarded French citizenship last weekend. Though we tend to think of Clooney as permanently living in a big house on Lake Como, driving his kids to school in a speedboat (or however it is you get around Lake Como), the actor and his family actually spend most of their time on a “farmhouse in France.” Très rustique! Clooney has been outspoken about how strong the privacy laws in France are when it comes to protecting his family from paparazzi, telling French radio that France is where they are “happiest.” This new citizenship will give his 8-year-old kids a fighting chance at a normal childhood even though their father is literally Michael Clayton.
Though Clooney seems mostly content taking a step back from work, maybe his more permanent French status could motivate him to start acting for some French directors. Wouldn’t it be crazy to see him in a Claire Denis movie? That’s probably wishful thinking, but still. In the meantime, the protective measures of French privacy laws mean that we probably won’t ever see super-zoomed-in photos of Clooney driving around his vineyard in a tractor — which is a shame but ultimately for the best.
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