Los Angeles [US], September 3 (ANI): George Clooney used the stage at the Venice Film Festival to speak about the power of art and storytelling, while also aiming at people who use fear to divide others.
According to Variety, the Oscar-winning actor was honoured with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the festival’s opening ceremony on Wednesday. Clooney, who has spent nearly five decades in the film industry, began his speech with a joke about receiving the honour.
Speaking about the award, Clooney said, “You know, when they tell you that you’re gonna be getting a lifetime achievement award, there are really two things that come to mind. The first is what an incredible honor this is. And then the second is, uh, do they know something that I don’t?”
Talking about the current political climate, Clooney said people in positions of power and those with money are often telling others to fear one another. He said history has shown why such fear should be questioned.
“We’re living through a moment in time where the people in charge and people with the most money are telling us to fear one another,” Clooney said. “But we know better than that, don’t we? Because history does teach us a lesson.”
He then spoke about the way artists and journalists can come under pressure during difficult political times. Clooney said those who ask questions and challenge simple answers are often among the first people authoritarian governments try to silence.
“The first people that authoritarians try to shut down are not politicians. They’re journalists who ask questions, they’re the artists who refuse simple answers, the filmmakers, writers, actors and musicians who insist that someone you never met is deserving of your empathy,” he said.
Clooney went on to speak about the importance of stories, books and music, saying they can challenge fear and bring people closer.
“Stories are always dangerous to people who peddle in fear,” he said. “The people who are afraid of books and music and stories are never the heroes in history.”
Earlier, Clooney also faced questions from journalists at a press conference, where he spoke about the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. merger and the controversy around actor Mark Ruffalo’s criticism of the deal.
According to Variety, Clooney said he supports Ruffalo’s right to speak freely and questioned whether the proposed merger would make financial sense.
“I support Mark Ruffalo’s ability to speak freely,” Clooney said, adding about the pending deal: “I don’t see how the merger financially ends up making sense for the people who are trying to do it. We’ll see.”
Clooney was also asked about the current political situation in the United States. During his answer, he used the word “kakistocracy”, which refers to a government run by the least qualified people.
“I think maybe we have a kakistocracy right now, but we’ll get through it,” he said. “We will have an election in November that should be a check and balance. And then in 2028, we will have a restoration of some normalcy.”
Clooney will also hold a masterclass at the Venice Film Festival, where he will look back at his long career in acting and filmmaking.
He is one of only three people to have received Oscar nominations in six different categories: Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay and Adapted Screenplay. He won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Syriana in 2005 and Best Picture as a producer of Argo in 2012.
His notable acting credits include the Ocean’s franchise, The Descendants and Gravity. As a director, he has worked on films including Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Good Night, and Good Luck, and The Tender Bar. (ANI)
George Clooney calls out ‘authoritarians’ in Venice Golden Lion Speech, says ‘stories are always dangerous to people who peddle in fear’
