George Clooney Obtains Citizenship in European Country After Hinting About Leaving Hollywood

George Clooney and Amal Clooney have been officially granted French citizenship after previously expressing concerns about having their children grow up in Hollywood.

The couple’s new citizenship, which also extends to their 8-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella, was revealed in a French government document on Saturday.

The Oscar-winning actor, 64, and humanitarian lawyer, 47, first purchased a farm in France in 2021, according to Hello!. The couple told the New York Times in February that while they have homes in the U.K. and Kentucky, the farm in France was their primary residence.

“Growing up in Kentucky, all I wanted to do was get away from a farm, get away from that life,” Clooney told the outlet. “Now I find myself back in that life. I drive a tractor and all those things. It’s the best chance of a normal life.”

Clooney has been open about his desire to raise his kids away from the Hollywood spotlight, telling Esquire in October that he felt “very lucky” to be able to give his children the kind of childhood they have.

“You know, we live on a farm in France. A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid I hated the whole idea of it,” he said. “But now, for them, it’s like — they’re not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.”

Clooney admitted to being “worried” about raising his kids in Hollywood, telling the outlet, “I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life. France — they kind of don’t give a s–t about fame.”

“I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi,” he added. “I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids.”

France famously has strong privacy protection laws, with CNN reporting that it’s illegal to photograph someone in a private place or to publish pictures of celebrities in public places unless that appearance is related to them being public figures.

In 2021, Clooney published an open letter asking the media to keep from publishing photos of his children’s faces, writing at the time, “I am a public figure and accept the oftentimes intrusive photos as part of the price to pay for doing my job. Our children have made no such commitment.”