Highlights
- George Clooney took a stance in 2014 supporting the return of Parthenon Marbles to Greece
- His statements were met with criticism by then London Mayor, Boris Johnson
- The actor was dating Amal Alamuddin who helped him respond on the case
In a recent interview for the Guardian, the Hollywood actor refers to a row over Parthenon Marbles he had in February 2014 with Boris Johnson.
Back then, Clooney was in London for a film premiere and publicly argued for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.
Johnson, then mayor of London, responded swiftly with an accusation.
‘Your current prime minister literally compared me to Hitler,’ Clooney told the British journalist with a laugh.
Johnson said the actor was “advocating nothing less than the Hitlerian agenda” for looting “London’s cultural treasures”.
This is the first time George Clooney reveals the backstage of the dispute.
Amidst the media attention sparked by the incident, he met his future wife Amal Alamuddin for dinner on that night, who he was secretly dating at the time.
It so happened that Alamuddin, a lawyer, was advising Greece on the demand for return of the Parthenon Marbles to Athens.
As Clooney says, she armed him with all the information and legal arguments to respond to the criticism and defend his statements.
Just a few months later, the couple would be getting married in Venice.
Prompted by the journalist conducting the interview, Clooney conceded that he owes part of the family bliss he’s enjoying to… Johnson who had unknowingly brought Clooney closer to his current wife.
“I’ll send him a note. A thank you note. And a comb,” Clooney said in an ironic reference to the British PM’s hairstyle.
