George Clooney has been honored with the prestigious Chaplin Award at Lincoln Center in recognition of his Academy Award-winning career as an actor, writer, director and producer.
But in recent years, Clooney has become known as much for his political views as for his work behind and in front of the camera.
So it’s no surprise that, accepting the Chaplin Award in New York on Monday, just days after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting, Clooney felt the need to address recent political events.
“I can’t be here on a night like tonight and ignore everything that’s going on in the world,” he said at the end of his remarks after being honored by former colleagues such as Julianna Margulies, Sam Rockwell and John Turturro. “I don’t agree with everything this administration stands for, but there is no room for the kind of violence we saw two nights ago in Washington, D.C., and there is no room for this kind of violence in Minnesota with Alex Peretti or Renee Nicole Goode.”
Despite being an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, Clooney did not mention the president by name and instead spoke out more broadly against “hate” and “cruelty.”
“It seems to me that there is a struggle that must be won against hatred, corruption, cruelty and violence,” he said. “It is a struggle for the soul of this republic because stirring up hatred and violence is the legacy of the wind.”
He called for unity when he cited Trump’s beloved slogan “Make America Great Again” to push for a better future.
“The question is simply as citizens of this great country, what should we do? And in that answer, all of us, left, right and center, can build a more perfect union, heal our wounds and begin to make America truly great again,” he said.
Clooney also quoted veteran journalist Edward R. Murrow, who portrayed him in the Broadway version Good night, and good luckHe remembers how he was playing Moreau last year and his words seemed “relevant” but now seem “urgent.”
“We will not walk in fear, each other,” Clooney reiterated. “Fear will not lead us into an age of irrationality, if we dig deep into our history and our faith and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who were afraid to write, to speak, to belong, to defend causes that were, for the time being, unpopular. We proclaim ourselves as if in fact the defenders of freedom wherever it exists in the world. But we cannot defend freedom abroad by abandoning it at home.”
Stephen Colbert, who also paid tribute to Clooney, was Colbert’s first guest Late showwhich is scheduled to air its final episode next month after being canceled by CBS, took a moment on stage to introduce what seemed like an unscripted about… Good night, and good luckwhich Clooney wrote and also directed the film version, in which David Strathairn played Moreau.
“Millions around the world have seen this inspiring film, and we hope CBS will see it one day,” Colbert said before fumbling with the papers on his podium.
