(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — First Salma Hayek, now George Clooney? Will one of the world’s most recognized couples really come to Beirut?
On Tuesday, George Clooney announced that he and his wife Amal Alamuddin were planning to visit Beirut in the “near future” to meet his Lebanese in-laws.
“We’re going to go to Beirut and I’m really excited to do that but I didn’t know much about the Lebanese culture including how many family members I now have in Lebanon, which is a thousand I think,” he said.
Clooney explained how his marriage to Alamuddin, who was born in Lebanon, has taught him about the country’s culture.
“What I have learned from Amal is about Lebanese culture and (it’s) absolutely fascinating to me,” he said.
Alamuddin’s family hails from Baakline, a well-known Druze town and seat of the sect’s religious leader in the Chouf district of the country.
Alamuddin’s father, Ramzi, is a retired professor at the American University of Beirut, while her mother, Baria, is a well-known former beauty-queen turned journalist with the newspaper Al-Hayat.
The family left Lebanon in the 1980s at the height of Lebanon’s civil war. They settled in London, with Amal going on to earn a law degree from the prestigious Oxford University and later a Master’s degree from New York University.
Clooney spoke of the couple’s vested interest in politics and his freedom to talk more openly about his beliefs than his wife, who may deal with different countries in her line of work.
“Well she’s not involved in politics, she’s active on the international stage. I would argue that both of us are equally involved politically. I’m in a much better place and able to do a lot more by not having to compromise,” he added.
The news comes just one day after Clooney called the conflict in Syria “incredibly complex.” He also explained how Amal has given him a “new perspective” on the country.
Clooney also told the BBC that he intends to do more to help the people of Syria without being formally involved in politics.