'Golden Lion' winner George Clooney addresses Paramount-Warner Bros merger, supports Mark Ruffalo in Venice 

Los Angeles [US], September 3 (ANI): Actor George Clooney received the prestigious Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, delivering a moving speech on the power of art. 

Speaking at the festival’s opening ceremony, Clooney shared, “We’re living through a moment in time where the people in charge and people with the most money are telling us to fear one another. But we know better than that, don’t we? Because history does teach us a lesson,” as quoted by Variety.

Referring to political turmoil, he further continued, “The first people that authoritarians try 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 asserted that “stories are dangerous to people who peddle in fear and people who are afraid of books and music.”

Prior to the big honour, George Clooney, during a press conference, also addressed Paramount’s ongoing attempt to merge with Warner Bros, defending Marvel star Mark Ruffalo, who was accused by Paramount of “anti-Semitic tropes”. 

“I support Mark Ruffalo’s ability to speak freely. It’s ridiculous. We’re not going to ban speech. I believe in free speech even when I completely disagree with it. That’s important. In fact, it’s part of how democracy works,” he said.

Describing the pending merger as a “complicated thing”, Clooney shared that he doesn’t understand the purpose of it. 

“I don’t see how the merger financially ends up making sense for the people who are trying to do it. We’ll see. I worry when a big company swallows up another company. I always worry whenever big companies are consolidating because it means a lot of people are going to lose their jobs,” he said.

An Oscar winner, the actor is no stranger to Venice, having attended the past two editions with ‘Wolfs’ and ‘Jay Kelly’. 

Besides the Golden Lion, Clooney is also set to deliver a masterclass at the festival on September 3. (ANI)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)