George Clooney was at the Venice Film Festival where he will receive a Golden Lion in recognition of his more than four decades of professional career. During the event, the American actor and filmmaker made forceful criticisms of his country of origin, defining the United States as a "kakistocracy," that is, a country governed by the least qualified people.
Clooney questioned the decency of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who recently used social media to ridicule women from the Canadian army. The actor also criticized politicians who, according to him, consider cruelty as fun.
The artist recalled that the United States has already gone through difficult times, mentioning that he is old enough to have lived through 1968, a year when tanks surrounded the country's capital and Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. For Clooney, the current moment is another one of those difficult periods.
The Golden Lion was presented to Clooney on the evening of the event as recognition for his body of work over more than 40 years of career in the film industry.
