Venice Film Festival is the backdrop for celebrity romances: Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky, Brad Pitt and Ines de Ramon among the stars showcasing their love
Love is in the air in the City of Canals. Red carpet debuts and an engagement are just a couple of the off-camera developments.
Venice is the backdrop of love for many people, including a bevy of Hollywood stars.
With the Venice Film Festival underway through Sept. 7, entertainers have descended upon the scenic City of Canals to promote their projects at premieres and parties. But many are making business more pleasurable with the companionship of their significant other.
Brad Pitt made his relationship with girlfriend Ines de Ramon red carpet official at the Wolfs premiere on Sept. 1, while doing his best to avoid ex Angelina Jolie. Couples Rami Malek and Emma Corrin and Olivia Rodrigo and Louis Partridge also showcased their romances for the first time.
Lady Gaga gave the Monsters their first glimpse of her gigantic engagement ring — and even shared a canal-side smooch with fiancé Michael Polansky. Justin Theroux topped them all, proposing to girlfriend Nicole Brydon Bloom in Italy — and she showed off her ring at the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice premiere.
Let’s see those lovebirds and more aflutter in Venice...
Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky
The couple, who became engaged over the summer, starred in their own real-life love scene outside the Hotel Cipriani. The Joker: Folie à Deux star — looking glam in a polka-dot dress with black tights and black pumps — smooched the entrepreneur alongside their water taxi. Her engagement ring was the real statement piece, though. It was the first time Gaga had shown off the diamond, which is so sparkly and sizable it was impossible to miss.
George and Amal Clooney
After all these years as a Hollywood leading man, the Wolfs actor has red carpets down pat. But whenever his human rights lawyer wife is his plus-one, it elevates the star to the next level of glam. He rocked a tux for his film’s premiere, while Amal shone in a corset-style yellow gown with a train. When they stood next to Pitt, his buddy comedy co-star, and de Ramon, they were an especially fetching foursome. (The couples also dined out together at Ristorante da Ivo.) Perhaps some of the Clooneys’ radiance can be attributed to their love of Venice. After all, it’s where they tied the knot 10 years ago.
Brad Pitt and Ines de Ramon
The couple, who got together in 2022, solidified their romantic status at the Wolfs premiere. The luxury jewelry executive, who was once married to actor Paul Wesley, wore a one-shoulder white dress, while the actor dressed in all black. This is a big step for Pitt, whose divorce from Jolie has been playing out over the last eight years. Complicating it all is that Jolie was also in Venice to promote her film about opera singer Maria Callas.
The Washington Post reports that a lot went into making sure the exes didn’t cross paths, including staggering their premiere dates. Pitt also allowed the Clooneys to shine in the spotlight, using the opportunity to usher de Ramon inside and allowing photographers to only get a few snaps of them together. Stealth move from a Hollywood pro.
Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz
The 007 actor’s performance in Queer, in which he plays a drug-addicted gay man, is being touted as one of his very best, and he had his actress wife of over a decade supporting him at the premiere. Craig made sure his Black Widow star spouse had her fashion moment, giving Weisz a little spin to show off her blue strapless dress. Their hands were entwined the rest of the time.
Olivia Rodrigo and Louis Partridge
Have you seen the singer look “Happier”? With a minute break from her successful “Guts World Tour,” Rodrigo popped over to Venice to publicly support Partridge at the premiere of his limited series, Disclaimer, which stars Cate Blanchett. They didn’t pose on the red carpet, opting instead to make their official couple debut in photos taken at the after-party. Partridge giving Rodrigo a candid kiss made for an even better moment.
Justin Theroux and Nicole Brydon Bloom
Theroux used the festival trip not just to promote the Beetlejuice sequel, but also to propose to the Gilded Age actress, who he’s been dating for a year. People magazine reports they were in Italy together when Theroux, who was previously married to Jennifer Aniston, popped the question. At the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice premiere, Bloom debuted her ring on the red carpet. The sparkler reportedly features a 4-carat emerald-cut, flawless diamond, with the couple’s birthstones embedded in the band.
Rami Malek and Emma Corrin
After a year of dating, Malek and Corrin made their couple debut at the film festival. The stylish pair had their arms around each other as they posed for photographers. There was no hiding from them anyway, with the Crown star in a bright green cropped Miu Miu suit jacket and skirt. Glamour for days.
Richard Gere and Alejandra Silva
The movie star showed appreciation for his wife, dropping to a knee in awe at the Wolfs premiere. The day before, Silva had praised Gere in a social media tribute on his 75th birthday, writing, “After 11 amazing years together, it still feels like the day we first met. ... You make my life better in every way, and I’m so grateful to have you by my side.” The couple, who share two children, also attended the amfAR Gala in Venice, where he was honored.