As if the annual Venice Film Festival, which is currently underway, didn’t have enough star power on the red carpet—an A-list double date has just entered the chat. Last night in the Italian seaside city, Amal and George Clooney were joined by Brad Pitt and new girlfriend Ines de Ramon for a dinner outing—via a mahogany boat, of course. (Basically, the Venice equivalent of a limo or luxe black Escalade.)
Clooney and Pitt, who are in town to debut their new action film Wolfs together, kicked off their Venice festivities with an off-duty group outing. All four opted for refined summer style for the occasion. George slipped into his best navy suit, paired with a crisp white collared shirt; Amal wore a slinky black slip dress. (We wonder if it’s either vintage or by John Galliano-era Dior—two of her go-to choices when it comes to a chic summer dress.) Earlier this week in Venice, however, Amal chose a brand new design for a Wolfs photo call—slipping into a strapless, ombré-style design by Bach Mai.
Pitt, meanwhile, went for a simple white button-up shirt and striped linen trousers, while Ramon—an executive for the jewelry brand Anita Ko, who began quietly dating Pitt back in 2022—sported a refined black slip dress similar to Clooney’s. (Do we dare wonder whether they coordinate for their group outings?)
As for which exclusive restaurant or member’s-only club they were all heading to in Venice together, that remains a mystery—but naturally, they managed to turn a simple dinner outing into a full-on paparazzi spectacle. One that rivaled one of the major festival premieres, no less. Where were the cameramen even hiding? On a nearby gondola?
The group dined together at a restaurant in Venice, Italy, on Aug. 31. The actors went on a double dinner date with their respective partners, Ines de Ramon and Amal Clooney, after arriving for the 81st Venice International Film Festival in Italy on Saturday, Aug. 31, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal.
The group dined at Ristorante Da Ivo in Venice, which is one of George and Amal's favorite restaurants and a must-stop for the couple whenever they travel to the city. Pitt, 60, de Ramon, 34, George, 63, and Amal, 46, made a glamorous entrance as they all arrived by motorboat taxi directly from the 5-star island hotel where George and Amal resided amid their trip.
For the evening occasion, Pitt wore a white shirt with cream pants and white shoes, while his girlfriend de Ramon wore a black fitted dress and black stilettos with a gray Kelly handbag. George, meanwhile, wore a blue suit with a white shirt, as Amal sported a black dress.
During their time at the restaurant, Pitt, de Ramon, George and Amal were served fiori di zucca in pastella (zucchini flowers in batter stuffed with mozzarella), porcini mushrooms and truffle risotto, tagliata di manzo (sliced beef) and paccheri pasta, which was paired with red and white wine. Their meal was wrapped up with a serving of tiramisù for Pitt and George, as de Ramon and Amal had wild strawberries with wild strawberry sorbet.
The group stayed for approximately two hours, as George spent half an hour playing host to a party of Apple TV executives who were also dining there, after originally booking the restaurant for a private event that evening. One Apple TV party member told PEOPLE, “George took over the running of the restaurant for about half an hour. He went around to all our tables pretending to take the orders.”
“The menu that had been established had a whole complicated and long explanation on it for each dish … but George just made his interpretation of it and it was absolutely hilarious. He had us all in tears laughing,” they continued. “Oh, and by the way, his sidekick was Brad Pitt. .... Who is ever going to believe us?” the party member playfully added.
It took the better part of a week, but the 81st annual Venice Film Festival welcomed it biggest and arguably best red carpet of this year's ceremony as Brad Pitt, George Clooney and their respective partners celebrated the first official screening of Wolfs on Sunday night.
In the film George and Brad play criminal 'clean up' specialists who are unexpectedly hired for the same job – disposing of a body in a hotel room.
Amal looked stunning in her yellow corset style dress which featured a pretty ruffled design and was teamed with heels to boost her height.
Brad put his arm around her as they arrived at the event held at the Palazzo del Cinema. It is Brad's first serious relationship since his divorce from Angelina Jolie and they looked happier than ever. She looked stunning in the clingy white dress. De Ramon, who is also divorced, moved in with him in Los Angeles in February this year and they have been spotted together in Venice earlier this week. They looked in great spirits as they arrived together.
Ines showed off her toned figure in a white one-shoulder number that had ruched detailing and was teamed with a silver sequin handbag and statement earrings. She wore her brunette tresses in loose waves over her shoulders and opted for a typically glamorous makeup look as she put on a loved-up display with George. They looked as comfortable as ever at the huge event. Her dress featured a flattering one shoulder design. He held an arm around her at all times. They looked great as they all posed together.
The leading men were reportedly paid $35 million each to act in the caper film, and had insisted on a release in cinemas. Makers Apple had a change of heart and the film, which insiders say cost up to $200 million all in, is now only being released in cinemas in the US for one week. In all other territories it will go straight to streaming, making it easily the most expensive TV film ever made. Amal and George put on a typically loved-up display. Clooney has denied that their fees were as high as $35 million, saying the true figure was 'many many millions below' that amount. But he added that it was a 'bummer' the way it had worked out. He said: 'We would have liked that, we wanted that, and Brad and I gave some of our salary back to do that. We have had some bumps along the way, and that happens.
'It's a bummer, of course it's a bummer, but a lot of people are going to see the film and we are getting a release in a few hundred theatres. It would have been nice to get a wider release.'
He said that the economics of streaming are still being 'figured out' but added: 'We are figuring it out. We need Apple and Amazon and they need Sony or Warners who have been doing it for 100 years.'
Pitt said: 'I love the existence of the streamers because we get to see more story more talent and it gets seen by more eyes as well but it's a delicate balance.'
Asked what the fact that a film with two huge stars was going straight to streaming said Clooney deadpanned: 'Clearly we are in decline.'
The two men have been friends for decades and last worked together 15 years ago in the movie Burn After Reading.
Clooney said: 'In Burn After Reading I got the extreme pleasure of shooting him in the face and we thought maybe we would try it 15 years later.
'Brad and I have been doing this a long time separately and together. Over a period of time its worked pretty well. It felt like that banter, the way we blast at each other all the time, just felt easy.'
The cameras were there to capture every move. They were quite the handsome duo at the premiere. George larked around with the cameramen. ... As did a cheeky Brad. They looked thick as thieves on the red carpet. They larked around together too.
Cate Blanchett, 55, also dazzled on the red carpet as she arrived in a black velvet dress which had a statement structured neckline. She put on a confident display as she modelled the black dress which she wore with simple matching heels. The structured dress gave a dramatic effect. She joined fellow actress Amy Ryan, 56, who stunned in a pink ruffled dress which was cinched in at the waist with a silk waistband. Her youthful skin was glowing and she opted for a pop of red lip. George Clooney, Austin Abrams, Amy Ryan and Brad Pitt posed together. Brad and Amy chatted together on the red carpet. The four main leads posed together. Ines boosted her height with gold heels and accessorised with a glitzy clutch bag. Amal helped a cameraman who had fallen over. She stunned in her yellow dress. She sported slightly lighter dyed hair. The husband wife duo stunned together. They arrived hand in hand. They posed as a four too. She helped up a fallen cameraman. He had accidentally tripped over. Ines and Brad looked incredibly loved up as they posed as a four.
The two men are now planning to act in a sequel and Pitt said: 'We figured there had to be a good reason to get into a film together, something that we could build upon. I also have to say that as I have got older working with people who I enjoy spending time with has become really important to me.'
Apple, which funded the project has splashed out over £1 million on hiring the entirety of the Cipriani hotel for Pitt, Clooney and friends over the weekend. These friends include Clooney's agent Bryan Lourd, who accompanied Amal to a dinner on Saturday night, and the Apple boss Tim Cook, who previously spent time with the Clooneys at their holiday home on Lake Como. They also include the films director Jon Watt who was absent after contracting Covid while in Venice and has now flown home.
Brad and Ines were first linked in November 2022 after they were spotted at a Bono concert. The gig came two months after Ines separated from her husband of three years, Paul Wesley. Ines and Paul finalised their divorce earlier this summer. Brad took her to the premiere of his film Babylon in December 2022. They then spent his birthday and New Year's Eve together before taking a trip to Paris. Brad also attended the Santa Barbara International Film Festival with Ines in early February. The actor attended the film festival to help honour his pal Bradley Cooper with the outstanding Performer of the Year award. Brad and Ines were seated next to each other at the event - which took place at Arlington Theater - as seen in Hello! magazine. According to Hello! Ines had her hand on Brad's thigh for most of the event, with the couple laughing and chatting with each other. A source told People: 'He seemed to be in very good spirits onstage when he presented the award to Bradley and poked fun at his friend, joking that he was just here for the free trip to Santa Barbara.' One week later, it was revealed that Brad and Ines were living together at the actor's home. 'It's pretty recent. They are going very strong and she is happier than ever,' a People insider said, adding that she still has her place as well. Though he is known for his laid-back public persona, Pitt has previously been accused of volatile behavior by ex-wife Angelina, 49.
