Clooney Defends Ruffalo, Doubts Warner Merger at Venice — SkimNews
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- George Clooney defended Mark Ruffalo's "ability to speak freely" after Paramount accused the Marvel star of "antisemitic tropes" for criticizing the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger and accusing the Ellison family of complicity in Palestinian "genocide."
- Clooney said he "doesn't see how the merger financially ends up making sense" and warned that big-company consolidation "means a lot of people are going to lose their jobs."
- Clooney called the current U.S. government a "kakistocracy" — defined as a country run by the least qualified people — and predicted "a restoration of some normalcy" by 2028.
- Clooney predicted AI will be "a very big part of this industry" but warned it will "hurt us in a lot of ways," joking about wanting to avoid appearing in a tampon commercial after death.
- Clooney raised concerns about journalism, saying it is troubling that "the richest people in the world are owning the Washington Post and Twitter," referring to Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
- Clooney, 65, is receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at Venice's opening day and announced he is stepping back from directing to focus on acting and his two 9-year-old twins.
- Clooney teased an upcoming "Oceans" heist film with Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, saying "as soon as we get our schedules to work, we're going to film."
Why it matters: Clooney's press conference gave Hollywood's A-list a rare unified moment — defending Ruffalo's right to criticize a pending merger worth billions while publicly doubting that merger's viability. With Paramount-Warner Bros. consolidation threatening industry jobs and Clooney himself warning that "a lot of people are going to lose their jobs," the comments arrive as the deal's opposition finds its loudest celebrity voice yet.
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