george clooney made a strong impression at the Venice Film Festival for his movie "Suburbicon.” But he made an even bigger statement when he talked about succeeding Donald Trump as President of the United States.
A journalist asked George Clooney about his plans to run for office at the press conference after the screening of his film. He said that the idea "sounds like fun,” as the Daily Beast reported.
"[But] I’d like anybody to be the next president of the United States," the actor and director said in amusement. "Right away, please!"
Dark cloud over the US
George Clooney has always been outspoken about politics, and some of these reflect on his movie projects, such as "Suburbicon," which stars Matt Damon and Julianne Moore.
Clooney not only directed this film. He also wrote the screenplay with the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan, and Grant Heslov.
The Hollywood star compares "Suburbicon" to what he sees in the U.S. today where anger seems to fill the air.
"There’s a dark cloud hanging over our country right now," Clooney said, as per Page Six. “I’m an optimist. I believe that we will get through all these things, but people are angry; a lot of us are angry."
George Clooney’s political experience
The prospect of George Clooney running for office might not be far-fetched. Aside from being a vocal about serious and life-changing issues, Clooney's family has ties to politics.
His father, Nick Clooney, sought a seat in Congress under the Democratic Party in 2004 but then lost by a small margin, as per the Huffington Post.
The two-time Oscar winner, on the other hand, founded Not on Our Watch in 2008 to fight against human rights violations in Sudan.
Inspiration for ‘Suburbicon’
Meanwhile, George Clooney related that "Suburbicon” might be a dark comedy but it was inspired by a racism incident from 1957. He researched about this event in history after hearing Donald Trump’s campaign speeches, which were about excluding minorities with his plan to build a wall.
The actor and director, however, clarified that “Suburbicon” is not a dig on Donald Trump’s presidency. Rather, the film is about addressing issues on racism that plague America even today.
After the festival rounds, “Suburbicon” will run in U.S. theaters on Friday, Oct. 27. Clooney also directed "The Monuments of Men," "Good Night and Good Luck" and "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind."
The actor last time the actor was in front of the cameras was in the 2016 film "Money Monster" with Julia Roberts.
