George Clooney Says He 'Couldn't Be More Proud of' Wife Amal at Their Foundation's Albie Awards
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Kevin Mazur/Getty
George Clooney is one proud husband!
The Oscar-winning actor-director, 61, was joined by his wife, human rights attorney Amal Clooney, 44, at the inaugural Albie Awards, hosted by their Clooney Foundation for Justice on Thursday night in New York.
Outside of the New York Public Library, George told PEOPLE what he loved most about working with Amal to create the event.
RELATED: George and Amal Clooney Celebrate 8-Year Wedding Anniversary During New York City Night Out
"Well we collaborate on everything. We collaborated on twins!" the Ticket to Paradise actor said. "But you know, this is an exciting one because Amal's gotten journalists out of Egypt, out of Azerbaijan, prisons, out of — all over the world, Myanmar."
The Albie Awards honored those who devote their lives to justice. It was attended by celebrity guests including Meryl Streep, Dua Lipa, John Oliver, Julia Roberts, and Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, among others.
George said that their work on the Albie Awards and with their foundation is something that his wife "happens to be really especially gifted at."
He added, "My father's a journalist. I have a great affinity for them — her mother's a journalist. So it's really exciting for me when she's able to get people who are wrongly accused for doing their job out [of prison]. So, for me, it's just — I couldn't be more proud of my wife."
RELATED: George and Amal Clooney Celebrate 8-Year Wedding Anniversary During New York City Night Out
As for what George hopes the pair will teach their 5-year-old twins Alexander and Ella, he said, "There's tons of stuff. But the number one thing is: challenge people with power and defend people without power."
George and Amal created the Albie Awards, named after Justice Albie Sachs, to shine a spotlight on defenders of justice who are at risk for what they do.
Sachs received a lifetime achievement award Thursday for his heroic commitment to ending apartheid in South Africa.
RELATED VIDEO: The Inspiring Career of Amal Clooney
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Filipino journalist Maria Ressa was given the Justice For Journalists award while iAct — an organization that supports survivors of genocide in refugee camps — was honored with the Justice For Survivors award.
The Justice For Democracy Defenders award was given to Belarusian human rights group Viasna, and the Justice for Women honor went to Dr. Josephine Kulea for the Kenya-based Samburu Girls Foundation.
