George Clooney has backed Mark Ruffalo in his row with Paramount after the studio accused him of invoking “antisemitic tropes”, with the Ocean’s Eleven actor calling it “ridiculous”.
Last month, Ruffalo criticised the links between tech company Oracle – which is owned by Paramount Skydance boss David Ellison’s father, Larry – and the Israeli military, describing the Israeli military’s actions as a “genocide” that “was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle”.
He has been vocal in his opposition to the controversial pending merger between Paramount and its rival studio Warner Bros, said to be worth $111bn (£81bn), due to David Ellison’s political ties with US President Donald Trump.
In response, Paramount issued a statement, saying that the company is “troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute”, adding that it doesn’t “tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone”.
Ruffalo himself called the antisemitism accusation “appalling and fundamentally dishonest”, and now fellow actor Clooney has come to his defence.
Speaking to Variety, Clooney said: “I support Mark Ruffalo’s ability to speak freely.
“It’s ridiculous. We’re not going to ban speech. I believe in free speech even when I completely disagree with it. That’s important. In fact, it’s part of how democracy works.”
He also called the potential merger “a complicated thing”, adding: “I don’t see how the merger financially ends up making sense for the people who are trying to do it. We’ll see.
“I worry when a big company swallows up another company. I always worry whenever big companies are consolidating because it means a lot of people are going to lose their jobs.”
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It comes just a day after over 170 Jewish artists signed an open letter supporting Ruffalo amid Ellison’s accusation. Wallace Shawn, Hannah Einbinder, Joel Coen and Naomi Klein were among those who put their names to the letter, titled “Enough!”
The letter demands the end to “the false and dangerous weaponisation of charges of antisemitism against those who are brave enough” to speak about how “the assault on the Palestinian people and the assault on our liberties at home are deeply interconnected”.
“Calling Mark Ruffalo antisemitic because he is questioning a massive corporate merger is not only absurd – it’s a dangerous way to shut down legitimate criticism,” former Broad City star Ilana Glazer said in an additional statement.
On Friday (21 August), Ruffalo responded to Paramount’s allegation on X, writing: “The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest.
“Criticising the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract, or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people,” he continued. “This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel. To be clear, my views come from my own political convictions and should never be interpreted as hostility toward Jewish people, for whom I have deep love and respect.”
He added that his criticism of the Ellisons was “fair and necessary” before reaffirming his support for the Jewish community, who have “profoundly shaped” his attitudes to “acting, activism and humanism”.
The merger between Paramount and Warner Bros is currently on hold until June 2027 – which is when a judge will consider any legal issues around the deal.