George Clooney: Why George and Amal Clooney secured French citizenship to raise their children away from Hollywood
Official Naturalization Notice
Magazine Image Clooney released a statement about all the recently naturalized individuals, including his wife Amal Clooney and their twins Alexander and Ella.
Clooney, who also has US citizenship, and British-Lebanese human rights lawyer Amal already know life in France well. While the family has homes in England and Kentucky near Clooney’s relatives, their main residence is a farm in France.
Clooney on Choosing a Family-Friendly Life in France
“Growing up in Kentucky, all I wanted to do was get away from the farm and that life,” Clooney said. New York Times In February. “Now I find myself in that life again. Driving a tractor and all that. It’s the best chance for a normal life.”
He repeated similar sentiments in October Esquire report:
“I was worried about raising our kids in Los Angeles, in the Hollywood culture,” Clooney said. “I felt like they would never get a fair shake in life. France, they don’t care one bit about fame,” he said.
“I don’t want them to walk around worrying about the paparazzi. I don’t want them to be compared to other people’s celebrity kids,” she said. Clooney has consistently highlighted his family’s privacy issues, penning an open letter in 2021 urging media outlets to keep his children’s faces out of the press for safety purposes.
French Privacy Laws Protect Celebrities
There are strong privacy safeguards in France. It is illegal to capture individuals in private spaces or reveal personal details such as home addresses or phone numbers. Public posting of photos of celebrities is allowed only if the appearance is related to their public roles.
When paparazzi try to photograph celebrities in private moments, “the celebrity’s security or assistant will take a photo or video of the paparazzi,” trial attorney Chassen Palmer said in a 2020 article. California Western Journal of International Law.
“The image and/or video is then sent to the celebrity’s lawyer, and local media outlets are informed that the celebrity will seek legal damages if the photo or video is published,” he added, noting that this policy “greatly discourages celebrities from making their photos public.”
FAQ:
Q1. Why did the Clooneys seek French citizenship?
They desired a safe and private environment for their children. France provides stronger privacy protections than Hollywood.
Q2. Who from the Clooney family received French citizenship?
George, Amal and their twins Alexander and Ella were naturalized. The whole family is now officially French citizens.
