France has granted citizenship to actor George Clooney and his wife, Amal Clooney, according to government decrees issued over the weekend.
The Ministry of Justice published orders of naturalisation for the couple and their 8-year-old twins. Clooney, who was born in Kentucky, retains his US citizenship, which French law permits.
Clooney, 64, has cited French privacy laws as a factor in the family’s decision to settle in the country. In an interview with French broadcaster RTL aired earlier this month, he explained the appeal of life in France.
George Clooney becomes French citizen after buying Provence vineyard
“Here, they don’t take photos of kids. There aren’t any paparazzi hidden at the school gates. That’s No. 1 for us,” he said. “We also have a house in the United States, but our happiest place is on this farm where the kids can have fun.”
French news media have reported that the Clooneys purchased the house, located on a vineyard outside Brignoles in Provence, in 2021 for around $10 million. Didier Brémond, the mayor of Brignoles, posted a photograph on social media in July 2021 showing him meeting the couple at their home.
Last year, Clooney recorded a New Year’s message thanking Brémond and residents for their welcome.
Language requirements tightening
The timing of the citizenship grant may be significant. From next year, the French government will raise the language requirement for foreigners seeking residency and naturalisation.
Clooney told RTL that he was using the language app Duolingo to learn French, but admitted it was not easy at his age.
“My French is horrible,” Clooney said last year, pronouncing the word with a French accent as he arrived at the opening of a cinema in Brignoles.
Clooney’s career in film has spanned decades and includes comedies, dramas and thrillers. He won an Oscar in 2006 for his role in Syriana and another as co-producer of the 2013 drama Argo.
In his latest film, Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, Clooney plays an ageing American film star who is attempting to rediscover himself. His character takes a train journey from Paris to Tuscany in Italy.
The actor also owns a villa on Lake Como in the foothills of the Italian Alps.
Amal Clooney, 47, who is British and Lebanese, is a barrister in London who specialises in international and human rights law. She has represented victims of mass atrocities at the International Court of Justice.
Last year, she said that she had participated in a panel that recommended the International Criminal Court issue arrest warrants for leaders of Israel and the Hamas group.
