For Matt Damon its come hell or high water.
Matt is all about providing clean water and sanitation to those who need it. For sure, the down to earth Oscar winner would rather discuss that then himself, and he does.
The actor, father of four girls, and philanthropist covers Town & Country’s June/Philanthropy issue, hitting newsstands May 17th.
Matt opens up to the magazine about his work with Gary White and Water.org, and the impact of celebrity on philanthropy.
HERE’S SOME:
On the impact of being a celebrity and the influence that comes with it:
“I became famous. It’s surreal to suddenly wake up to one day and have a larger sphere of influence than you ever anticipated. You genuinely want to do good in the world, but you’re going to make a lot of missteps. People started asking me to come to this gala or that. And then I would find my name associated with things that I didn’t know anything about. I didn’t want to be somebody at whom people rolled their eyes, thinking, ‘What is he doing, getting into the middle of this kind of stuff?’ And that’s why, once my life stabilized a little—my career was going pretty well, my wife was pregnant—I decided to get very serious about one thing.”
On lack of access to uncontaminated water in areas where water is ubiquitous:
“We don’t know anyone who goes thirsty. We have faucets everywhere. Our toilet water is cleaner than what 663 million people drink. The crisis in Flint, Michigan, ironically, is one of the first times, at least in my memory, that Americans have become aware of just how necessary clean water is, and the dire consequences of not having it.”
On his endorsement of Hillary Clinton for President—because of water:
“She understands it from a number of different angles—as a national security issue, as a human rights issue, and, obviously, its impact on women and girls. This is not a partisan issue, which is one really good thing about it. We’ve talked in equal parts to Republican and Democratic senators and congressmen.”
On children missing school spending time to water, thus compromising their futures:
“One child dies every 90 seconds because of water-borne illnesses. It’s completely insane. But beyond just senseless death, this is robbing people of their humanity, of their hopes and dreams. And also of simple day-to-day things, like a kid having time to play.”
Other prominent Philanthropic families featured in this issue include Kirk and Michael Douglas, the Shrivers, the Rockefellers, and the Cucinellis (shot by Terry Richardson for the portfolio). Additionally, the annual portfolio of the T&C 50 philanthropists is included, naming everyone from Stephen Colbert to Karlie Kloss, Mark Zuckerberg, Jessica Seinfeld, Seth Rogen, and Barbara Bush, to name a few.
http://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/a6000/matt-damon-water-charity/.
Looking very cool, Matt wears a T-Shirt by Brooks Brother and Watch by Van Cleef & Arpels