Clooney Venice award speech warns against fear

George Clooney, 65, accepted the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 83rd Venice Film Festival on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, using the occasion to deliver a speech that cautioned against fear-mongering and championed the role of storytellers in society. During the festival's opening ceremony, Clooney accepted the prestigious award and pivoted from personal reflection to broader societal commentary. He stated that people in positions of power and wealth are currently encouraging division and fear. "But we know better than that, don't we? Because history does teach us a lesson," Clooney told the audience. He emphasized that authoritarians often target journalists, artists, filmmakers, writers, actors, and musicians first, rather than politicians, because these individuals insist on empathy for others and refuse to accept simple answers. Clooney asserted that stories are inherently dangerous to those who promote fear, adding that individuals who are afraid of books, music, and stories are "never the heroes in history." He acknowledged that while movies do not stop wars, lower inflation, or fix elections, they possess a remarkable ability to foster empathy.