George Clooney defends Mark Ruffalo as ‘a good man’ amid campaign against Paramount-Warner Bros. merger

George Clooney comes to the defense of fellow actor Mark Ruffalo as he campaigns against Paramount’s proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, which has prompted accusations of antisemitism against the latter after he lashed out at Israel while protesting the deal.

“I worry when a big company swallows up another company,” Clooney says ahead of the Venice Film Festival, according to the Guardian. “I always worry whenever big companies are consolidating because it means a lot of people are going to lose their job.”

Clooney goes on to say that he “supports Mark Ruffalo’s ability to speak freely,” without addressing the allegations of antisemitism.

“I think that that’s ridiculous. We’re not going to ban speech,” Clooney continues. “I believe in free speech even when I completely disagree with it. That’s important, right? In fact, it’s part of how a democracy works.”

“There are going to be people tonight in the room that are going to disagree with most everything I say or stand for. Fair enough. That’s how it’s supposed to be. We’re supposed to argue these things out and come to a conclusion based on the information that we take in… I will always support Mark Ruffalo’s ability to speak freely. I like him. He’s a good man.”