Hollywood star George Clooney used his acceptance speech for the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday to criticize what he described as "authoritarians who peddle fear" and a potential "kakistocracy" currently running the United States.
Clooney, 65, received a lengthy standing ovation after delivering a speech that championed human connection and cinema's role as a unifier. "Nobody laughs in a different language. Nobody cries in a different language. Parents worry the same, kids dream the same," he stated, emphasizing shared human experiences. "Love looks remarkably similar… which makes it hard to believe that we're as different as we're constantly being told."
He argued that those in power are encouraging people to fear one another, but history teaches a different lesson. "The first people that authoritarians tried to shut down are not politicians. They're journalists who ask questions. They're the artists who refuse simple answers; the filmmakers, writers, actors, and musicians who insist that someone you never met is deserving of your empathy," Clooney said.
He added that stories are inherently dangerous to those who deal in fear. "The people who are afraid of books and music and stories are never the heroes in history," he noted. While acknowledging that movies do not solve tangible problems like wars or inflation, he asserted they "remind us that a stranger is never a stranger, and that he might just be the hero in somebody else's story."
Earlier in the day, Clooney had also spoken to reporters, launching a critique of the current U.S. administration. He referred to a government run by the "least qualified people," a term he linked to "kakistocracy." He expressed hope that upcoming elections in November and in 2028 would bring about a "restoration."
The Oscar-winning star denounced the current administration's approach, calling it "cruel" and lamenting a perceived absence of basic decency in public life. "The idea that cruelty is the base, that being cruel and unkind is part of the fun of all this," Clooney said, referencing a tweet by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that appeared to mock the appearance of an overweight female Canadian soldier. "Where is the sense of decency in all this? I'm ashamed of all of that but we will get through it and we will come out better on the other side."
Clooney drew parallels between the current moment and difficult periods in American history, such as 1968, when cities experienced unrest and the nation lost Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. "There was tons of violence. The Capitol was surrounded with tanks. We've had some other difficult times, but this is one of them," he recalled.
Clooney was presented the award by his longtime friend Laura Dern, with whom he starred in his first film, "Grizzly II: Revenge." Jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal also spoke about the power of cinema, advocating for films that allow audiences to engage with different human experiences and perspectives.
"I'm interested in having an interaction with something human, even if that human has a very different experience or point of view than I do," Gyllenhaal said. "I want to be rocked, shaken up. I want my mind to be changed."
Clooney has been a regular at the Venice Film Festival for nearly 30 years, with significant moments there including his wedding to Amal and the debut of "Good Night, And Good Luck," for which he received his first Best Director Oscar nomination. Last year, he attended to promote his film "Jay Kelly," which featured a character receiving a lifetime achievement award at the festival, making his current acknowledgment a "full-circle moment."