‘Suspension of entry into the US’, paparazzi – and wine: three other reasons George Clooney moved to France | Film

The exodus from Hollywood to shores not presided over by Donald Trump has been intense and noisy. Ellen DeGeneres, Robin Wright and Courtney Love moved to England; Rosie O’Donnell chose Ireland; Eva Longoria, Spain. Other Trump critics, including Richard Gere, Lena Dunham and Ryan Gosling, have upped the ante without citing reelection as a motivating factor.

But in Clooney’s case, there seems little doubt that his decision to obtain French citizenship was motivated primarily by Trump, whose re-election he campaigned energetically against. But amid the heat and headlines generated by the duo’s war of words, some of the actor’s reasons for the relocation may have been overlooked.

‘He will be the ambassador of the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée’

The Clooneys’ 170-hectare (420-acre) Provencal estate, surrounded by an 18th-century chateau, includes a swimming pool, ornamental lake, lavender garden, boules court and olive grove. There is also a 20-acre vineyard planted 25 years ago by agronomist Laurence Berlemont, whose previous clients have included Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, at Château Miraval, just 30 minutes away. Under Berlemont’s management, Miraval wines became lucrative and famous, with healthy international sales and badges from Le Guide Hachette des Vins.

Even closer to the Clooneys, George Lucas’ Château Margüi – AKA Skywalker Vineyards – is a major wine and olive oil production operation (plus luxury vacation passes). Also nearby is Le Plan-de-la-Tour, the estate formerly owned by Johnny Depp, with vineyards, olive groves and a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed wine cave. The properties of famous winemakers such as Kylie Minogue, John Malkovich and Jon Bon Jovi are also located in the region.

Historically, fruit from vineyards on the property now owned by the Clooneys was fed to the local cooperative, but the head of the Coteaux Varois appellation syndicate appeared keen for those who came to “take advantage of the vineyard.”

“When buying in our area,” Eric Lambert said, “[Clooney] will definitely be AOC’s new ambassador [Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée].” Meanwhile Berlemont in question Clooney joined her for blending sessions and praised her “palate.” “He is very humble,” she added, “ready to listen.”

There was even mutterings Rumor has it on the wine press that the Clooneys will release the rosé and white as early as 2025. That didn’t happen, but Clooney is no stranger to alcoholic entrepreneurship: in 2017 he sold Casamigos, the tequila brand he co-founded four years earlier, for $1bn (£790m).

‘I don’t want my kids to worry about paparazzi’

Both Lucas and Jolie-Pitt’s wines have benefited from high-profile partnerships with the nearby Cannes film festival. But Clooney’s involvement with European film festivals has been mainly with Cannes’ rival in Venice. Last August, Jay Kelly premiered at the Lido at least 10 of his films, including the previous year’s Wolfs and his own directorial efforts – Suburbicon (2017), The Ides of March (2011) and Good Night and Good Luck (2005); He’s only been to Cannes twice.

Clooney’s love for Italy was long-lasting and mutual. He bought a villa on Lake Como in 2002, and he and his wife, British-Lebanese human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, married in Venice in 2014. A 2012 profile of the actor noted that he was “quickly becoming Italy’s most popular public figure… [being a man] “Someone who is not Italian, who does not speak Italian, and who only lives here during the summer months.”

So why didn’t the Clooneys ask for Italian citizenship? A clue may lie in the actor’s praise for France’s privacy laws. In an interview with “I was worried about raising our kids in Los Angeles, in the Hollywood culture,” Clooney told Esquire in October. “I don’t want them running around worrying about the paparazzi. I don’t want them to be compared to other people’s famous kids.”

Rules in Italy around posting people’s photos publicly without their consent have become stronger over the past decade, becoming stricter than those in the United States. But again, France’s is stricter and the climate surrounding celebrities is less exciting, especially in rural areas. Meanwhile, the secluded location of the Clooneys’ French estate is a major deterrent to those hoping to take photos. In contrast, anyone with a rowing boat can theoretically get a commanding view of the villas overlooking Lake Como.

‘Significant consequences…including suspension of entry to the US’

Others questioned why Clooney and Amal had not applied for British citizenship, given that they have family there and have had a home in Windsor since 2014. Amal also has chambers in London and two scholarships at Oxford; Getting there from the Provence countryside is not easy at all.

But his participation in the 2024 advisory panel reviewing the international criminal court investigation into potential war crimes in Gaza offers the strongest indication of why the couple felt compelled to move their family away from Los Angeles.

In April 2024, Clooney and his fellow panelists suggested that ICC prosecutor Karim Khan issue arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant. Clooney said in his statement that there were “reasonable grounds” to believe they had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.

An arrest warrant was issued in November 2024, and the following February, Trump issued an executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC and naming Khan in its annex, promising to “impose concrete and significant consequences on those responsible for the ICC’s violations, some of which may include the blocking of property and assets, as well as the suspension of entry into the United States of ICC officials, employees, and agents, and their immediate family members.”

Last April, Amal was among a number of senior legal advisors to the ICC warned They were told by the State Department that they could risk sanctions from the Trump administration, including being banned from entering the United States.

Much has been made of the need to expedite the Clooneys’ application for French citizenship before stricter requirements on language fluency are introduced at the beginning of 2026 (George’s French reportedly remains rusty). But the possibility that the entire family might not be able to re-enter the United States also appears to hasten their exit.