George Clooney offers wide, mild opinions on Mark Ruffalo, WB merger at Venice Film Festival

The lead-up to this year's Venice Film Festival has seen its fair share of contentious issues, from a lack of representation for women to the continuous strife in Gaza. Initially, the festival announced the cancellation of the customary pre-event press conference, before ultimately reversing their decision. Naturally, the presence of high-profile award recipient George Clooney at the festival attracted a fair amount of hot-button questions.

At his press conference preceding Jay Kelly's Golden Lion win, Clooney faced a range of inquiries, some of which delved into the controversial potential merger between Warner Bros. and Paramount.

When asked about the blockbuster merger, Clooney only offered a measured response, stating, "I don't see how the merger financially ends up making sense for the people who are trying to do it. We'll see." He also expressed concerns about the number of jobs that such a massive merger would inevitably result in. Regarding fellow actor Mark Ruffalo's recent criticism of the merger, specifically his condemnation of the Paramount-headed Ellison family's ties to the Israeli military, Clooney only said, "I support Mark Ruffalo's ability to speak freely," adding, "I believe in free speech even when I completely disagree with it."

Clooney also weighed in on the growing influence of AI in filmmaking, while acknowledging that it "is going to be a very big part of this industry." He jokingly mentioned not wanting his likeness used "in a tampon commercial twenty years after I'm dead." The audience of questions and practiced answers continued throughout the event, as Clooney expressed skepticism about the monopolization of news by conservative billionaires, but remained hopeful for the presence of "great journalists."

He also touched upon the dire state of American democracy, suggesting that the Midterms could serve as a "check in balance" and that there would be a restoration of "normalcy" in the 2028 elections. Lastly, Clooney took a moment to promote his upcoming Oceans movie, expressing his enthusiasm for the project.