Hollywood actor George Clooney and his human rights lawyer wife Amal Clooney have officially become French citizens, along with their twins Ella and Alexander, marking a major shift in how they want to raise their family and live their lives.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The naturalisation was confirmed in France’s official government gazette, the Journal Officiel, which publishes French official decrees and listed George and Amal along with their twins among recent citizens, cementing their long-growing ties to the country.
The mayor of the city, Didier Brémond, told local media that their choice to become citizens of France was evidence of “his love for our country.”
A-list family, low-key life
For years, George, 64, has spoken candidly about his discomfort with raising children in the glare of Hollywood spotlight and the aggressive culture of celebrity paparazzi. In 2021, he even wrote an open letter asking media outlets not to publish images of his children, citing safety concerns linked to Amal’s high-profile human rights work.
France’s strict privacy laws gave the power couple a legal framework for the quieter, more protected life they were seeking. The country bars publishing photos of people in private settings without consent and restricts sharing details like home addresses and phone numbers, making it harder for paparazzi to follow famous families.
Why France feels like home
The Clooneys’ French chapter has been building for some time. In 2021, they bought an 18th-century estate near Brignoles in southern France, a property George later described as the family’s “farm in France” and their main home. Local officials say the couple blend into village life, with George known to shop in town and attend community events, an unusually ordinary existence for one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces.
George, born in Kentucky and long associated with Los Angeles, now holds both US and French citizenship. Amal, 47, a British-Lebanese lawyer who has built a global reputation advocating for victims of war crimes and political persecution, was naturalised under her maiden name, Amal Alamuddin.
Parenting, privacy and a fresh start
For George and Amal, the decision is rooted as much in parenting as in lifestyle. Their twins, now eight, are growing up in an environment where their parents are global celebrities, yet they can walk in their village with far less intrusion than in Los Angeles or London. The actor has acknowledged that this balance namely global careers, local anonymity is part of why the family feels happiest in France.
In an interview with Esquire in October, George said, “I was worried about raising our kids in LA, in the culture of Hollywood. I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life. France – they kind of don’t give a sh*t about fame.”
“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 added.
The move also signals how public figures are increasingly weighing privacy laws and digital exposure when deciding where to call home. By choosing France, George and Amal are aligning their personal lives with a legal system that prioritises private life, even for the world’s most famous faces.
Stardom on their own terms
Despite retreating from Hollywood’s daily spotlight, George’s career remains international. The Oscar-winning actor, director and producer continues to work on film and television projects, while Amal’s high-stakes legal cases keep her firmly on the global stage. But now, when the cameras turn off, the family can return to a farmhouse in the south of France, where their children are shielded by both geography and law.
In the end, their new passports represent more than a change of nationality; they are a declaration of how George and Amal want to live, famous, but on their own terms, and parents first.