George Clooney looks dashing as he delivers speech at his Roybal School of Film alongside Eva Longoria, Kerry Washington and Don Cheadle
George Clooney gave a speech at his Royal Magnet School of Film and Television Production in downtown Los Angeles on Friday.
The Oscar winner, 62, was spotted at the podium in a casual polo and jeans while raising awareness for the institution, whose mission is to “build a more inclusive pipeline of historically underrepresented students who are college- and career-ready interested in the film and television industries,” according to in her opinion website.
Surrounded by a crowd of Hollywood heavyweights — including Eva Longoria, Kerry Washington and Don Cheadle — George looked delighted, as he was very animated throughout the speech.
Afterward, Clooney — who credits Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling for the “Ocean’s 11” series — posed with the three superstar actors as the group hugged and smiled at each other.
Eva and Kerry also took to the stage, offering inspirational words for the young students.
School in session: George Clooney gave a speech at his Royal Magnet School of Film and Television Production in downtown Los Angeles on Friday
Famous pals: George was surrounded by a bevy of Hollywood heavyweights including Eva Longoria, Kerry Washington and Don Cheadle
Inspirational Women: Eva and Carrie also took to the stage, offering inspirational words for young students
Don, who is a member of Roybal’s advisory board, was there for the second year in a row, having attended in 2022 along with Mindy Kaling.
At Friday’s event, George also addressed the SAG strike, calling on Hollywood studios to re-engage in negotiations with the striking actors, Reuters.
Negotiations between the studios and the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union were suspended Wednesday after the studios rejected a request for a bonus tied to the number of streaming TV subscribers.
George called the breakdown in negotiations “disturbing.”
“At least come into the room.” “Don’t go on vacation,” he added.
The star added that SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher told him she was ready to restart negotiations and hoped the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) would follow suit.
“I hope we can just get in a room and work this thing out,” he said.
George’s rousing address was the second time he had spoken at Roybal School, having demonstrated his wit at last year’s event.
Shock star: At Friday’s event, George also addressed the SAG strike, calling on Hollywood studios to re-engage in talks with shock actors
Worried about future: George calls breakdown of SAG strike talks ‘worrying’
Solidarity: Talks between studios and actors’ union SAG-AFTRA broke down Wednesday after the studios rejected a request for a bonus tied to the number of streaming TV subscribers
“When you think of actors, you don’t think of education at all. I mean, you look at me, you just think, “Oh, he’s just the best Batman ever,” he joked during the ceremony,
He also spoke with ET at the launch about why he thought creating this school in Los Angeles was so important.
“We’re excited about this.” We feel there’s a real opportunity here, and that’s something that I think we’ve missed in our industry, and I think that’s something that’s pretty obvious what the solution is — and it starts earlier,” he said.
“I just felt like if you see a hole, you try to fill it, and this is one that just felt like — I was in London, and we were staffing, and because it was a very busy time in the industry, it’s hard to find a crew, and we have to do a lot better on inclusivity,” he noted.
Return of champions: Don, who is a member of the Royal Advisory Board, was there for the second year in a row as he attended in 2022 alongside Mindy Kaling
Talk about it: ‘At least come into the room. Don’t go on vacation,” George said of the SAG strike negotiations
Hug: Carrie and Eva shared a big hug after the speech
Governor’s report: Gavin Newsom gave a speech at the Royal Film School after George Clooney
Busy star: Eva was also spotted at the Hollywood Museum celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
Cruise Control: Eva was joined by Diane Warren and Richard Montanez
He said he would be willing to help in the classroom as well.
“I will study. And listen, this is below the line, right? So, I’m not really going to come in and talk about directing or acting, but I can come in and sit with the kids when they’re editing and things like that,” he explained.
In June 2021, George, Grant Heslow, and Brian Lourd partnered with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to establish The Roybal Film and Television Magnet.
The school is described as “a specialized academy housed within the Edward R. Royball Center for Learning,” which will “give United Los Angeles teachers access to renowned storytellers, along with industry professionals and experts, and support students with strong academics and hands-on training, establishing a clear path to well-paying jobs.’