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George Clooney, one of Hollywood’s most recognizable figures, has acquired French citizenship along with his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, and their twin children, Alexander and Ella. The development was reported by CNN, which based its coverage on French sources familiar with the matter.
While Clooney remains a citizen of the United States, the decision reflects a gradual shift in the family’s life arrangements rather than a sudden move. Speaking earlier this year, the actor had already signaled that France had become the family’s main base, even though they also keep homes in the United Kingdom and in the U.S. state of Kentucky, close to their extended family.
In an interview given in February to The New York Times, Clooney had played down the idea of a single fixed identity, explaining that he and his family live across several countries. However, he also made it clear that their primary residence is a farmhouse in France, which he described as their main place of everyday life.
For international readers, it is worth noting that France allows dual citizenship, meaning Clooney did not have to give up his American nationality in order to become French. His wife Amal Clooney, who is of Lebanese origin and holds British citizenship, and their children were included in the same naturalization process.
Clooney has repeatedly spoken out about the pressures of fame on family life, especially where children are concerned. In 2021, he addressed the media directly through an open letter, calling on outlets to refrain from publishing photographs of his children’s faces. He linked this appeal to his wife’s work as an international lawyer, arguing that public exposure could put the family at risk.
Those concerns resurfaced in later interviews, where Clooney tied questions of privacy to geography and culture rather than celebrity status alone. He has consistently framed the move to France as a way of stepping back from the intense media attention that often follows famous families in the United States.
In an interview published by Esquire magazine in October, Clooney said he was uneasy about raising his children in Los Angeles and within what he described as Hollywood culture. He contrasted that environment with life in France, where fame is generally treated with less importance and where daily life can be carried out with fewer interruptions.
He also stressed that he did not want his children to grow up constantly looking over their shoulders because of paparazzi, nor did he want them to be measured against the children of other celebrities.
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