Hollywood icon George Clooney, together with his wife and renowned human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, is continuing his campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum to Greece.
In a recent interview with Greek newspaper Ta Nea, Clooney expressed confidence about the sculptures’ eventual return:
“They’re going to come back. I know they are. My wife and I have both worked to get the Parthenon Marbles back to Greece. We’ll keep pushing until it happens. There’s no question about it.”
His comments come amid ongoing negotiations between British Museum chairman George Osborne and the Greek government regarding the future of the ancient sculptures.
The Parthenon Marbles, also known as the Elgin Marbles, were removed from Athens in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin, who was then the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. The sculptures originally formed part of the 2,500-year-old friezes that decorated the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis. They have been housed at the British Museum in London for over 200 years.
In 2022, UNESCO concluded that the United Kingdom has a moral and legal obligation to return the artefacts to Greece.
Clooney has been a vocal supporter of the Greek cause since 2014, when he described repatriation as “the right thing to do” during a press tour for his film The Monuments Men. Amal Clooney echoed the sentiment, calling the campaign “a powerful cry for justice.” That same year, she visited Athens to advise the Greek government on legal avenues for reclaiming the marbles.
Amal later co-authored the book Who Owns History?, which outlines the moral and legal arguments in favor of repatriating cultural heritage.
George Clooney’s latest remarks were made while he was performing on Broadway in Good Night, and Good Luck, the historical drama he directed and co-wrote in 2005.
The actor’s involvement in the debate has not gone unnoticed in British political circles. In 2014, then-Mayor of London Boris Johnson dismissed Clooney’s stance with a quip: “Someone urgently needs to restore George Clooney’s marbles.” He further accused the actor of promoting “nothing less than the Hitlerian agenda for London’s cultural treasures.”
Clooney responded with characteristic wit, describing Johnson’s remarks as “a bit too much hyperbole washed down with a few whiskies.”
Tensions between Greece and the UK escalated in 2023 when UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak canceled a scheduled meeting with his Greek counterpart following comments about the marbles’ return.
Clooney’s position has been supported by several prominent British actors, including Stephen Fry and Liam Neeson, who have also advocated for the sculptures’ return to their rightful home in Athens.
