American actor George Clooney, his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, and their two children have been granted French citizenship, according to a government announcement.
The family’s acquisition of citizenship was formally documented in the Journal Officiel, the official publication for French government decrees.
Their estate in Brignoles, situated in the south of France, serves as the family’s primary residence, having been purchased by the couple in 2021.
Didier Brémond, the mayor of Brignoles, conveyed to local media that their decision to become French citizens underscored “his love for our country.”
Speaking to broadcaster BFMTV, Brémond described the Clooneys as “a very simple and very accessible family.”
“Here, he aspires to live a normal life, and that is precisely what he is attempting to do,” the mayor stated.
In an interview with Esquire magazine earlier this year, George Clooney cited concerns about raising his children “in the culture of Hollywood” as a motivating factor for the family’s relocation to France.
“I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids,” he elaborated.
“We live on a farm in France,” Clooney told Esquire. “A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid, I hated the whole idea of it.”
“But now, for them, it’s like – they’re not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.”
In addition to their French residence, George Clooney also maintains homes in the UK and his native Kentucky, according to The New York Times.
The Clooneys’ twins, Ella and Alexander, were born in London in 2017.
Their mother, Amal Clooney, was born in Lebanon and raised in the UK.
The Journal Officiel indicates that Amal Clooney was naturalized under her maiden name, Amal Alamuddin.
It appears that adapting to French life has been a smoother transition for Amal Clooney and her children compared to her husband.
George Clooney recently remarked in an interview promoting his new film Jay Kelly that his wife and children possess flawless French language skills.
The actor, however, described his own French proficiency as “horrible,” despite his efforts to learn the language through a mobile application.
“They speak French in front of me so that they can say terrible things about me to my face, and I don’t know,” he quipped during an interview with French broadcaster Canal+.
The human rights lawyer will work at the Blavatnik School of Government.
Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney and Melinda French Gates tell the BBC about the need to end child marriage.