George Clooney was honoured with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the opening ceremony of the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday, where the Hollywood actor delivered an emotional reflection on his 45-year career.
Clooney appeared visibly moved during the tribute, while his wife, Amal Clooney, also became emotional, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The award was presented by his longtime friend and occasional co-star Laura Dern.
The two actors first worked together more than four decades ago on the horror sequel Grizzly II: Revenge, which was filmed in Hungary early in their careers.
The ceremony also echoed the storyline of Clooney’s latest film, Jay Kelly, a comedy-drama about the private struggles of a famous actor.
The film ends with its central character receiving a lifetime achievement award at an Italian film festival.
Jay Kelly, which also features Dern, premiered at Venice last year. Organisers screened an extended clip from the film during Wednesday’s ceremony, creating an unusual parallel with Clooney’s real-life honour.
After receiving a long standing ovation, Clooney spoke about the people who helped shape his career and the role cinema has played in his life.
He joked that a lifetime achievement award comes with two immediate thoughts: pride in the recognition and the question of whether the organisers “know something that I don’t”.
Clooney said his career had never followed the carefully planned path it might appear to have taken. Instead, he described it as “a series of fortunate accidents”.
“I’ve been an actor for 45 years, and when I look back now, it might seem as though I had a carefully mapped-out career, but that was never the case,” he said.
He recalled that much of his early career was spent trying to earn a living and avoid returning to Kentucky, where he had previously worked in tobacco farming.
Clooney credited the directors, writers, fellow actors and crew members who gave him opportunities and helped him develop as an artist.
“No one reaches the top entirely on their own,” he said.
He also reflected on his years attending international film festivals, saying cinema had taught him how closely people are connected despite differences in language, nationality and culture.
“Nobody laughs in a different language. Nobody cries in a different language. Parents worry the same, children dream the same, and love looks remarkably similar,” he said.
Speaking against the backdrop of growing political tensions, Clooney said people in power often tried to divide society by encouraging fear and mistrust.
“But we know better than that, don’t we?” he told the audience.
The actor also warned about the dangers faced by journalists and artists under authoritarian governments.
He said journalists who ask difficult questions and artists who challenge simplistic answers are often among the first people targeted by those seeking to control public debate.
Clooney argued that films, books, music and other forms of art can help audiences understand lives and experiences far removed from their own.
He acknowledged that cinema cannot end wars, control inflation or solve political crises.
However, he said storytelling can remind people of their shared humanity and turn strangers into individuals audiences can understand and care about.
Clooney’s connection with the Venice Film Festival dates back decades.
His move from television roles to Hollywood stardom gained momentum when Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight screened at the festival in 1998, marking his first appearance on the Lido.
He later returned to Venice with films including Michael Clayton in 2007, the Coen brothers’ Burn After Reading in 2008 and Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity.
The festival also hosted the premiere of Clooney’s directorial film Good Night, and Good Luck, which he co-wrote with Grant Heslov.
The film won the screenplay prize at Venice before receiving six Academy Award nominations.
Clooney’s connection with the city extends beyond his film career. He and Amal celebrated their wedding in Venice in 2014.
The lifetime achievement tribute included a performance of “Love is Not Enough” by Tutti Fenomeni.
It was followed by the opening-night world premiere of Danny Boyle’s Ink, which stars Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy and is competing for the Golden Lion.
Other films in the main competition include Robert Pattinson’s Primetime, Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Look Back and Florian Zeller’s Bunker.
A seven-member jury led by Maggie Gyllenhaal will select the Golden Lion and other major prizes.
The winners will be announced at the festival’s closing ceremony on 12 September.
