They usually make the headlines for their films, songs, what they wear and even who they are - or aren't - having a relationship with, but away from the continuous media scrutiny, a lot of Hollywood's megastars are devoting their time to helping others. A trend made fashionable by Angelina Jolie, philanthropy has caught on in Tinseltown and the film industry's finest are using their celebrity power to spearhead campaigns, raise awareness, change attitudes and bias, as well as donating funds and precious spare time. Here, Friday highlights some of the A-listers and their off-screen contributions...
EVA MENDES
Actress, known for Fast and Furious and The Other Guys
"I work with Art of Elysium (www.theartofelysium.org). It's a charity for children which is very close to my heart. It's basically created for children who are confined to hospital rooms and are battling life-threatening diseases. We try to raise their spirits through art therapy - we sing, play the guitar, finger-paint... When possible, we get them together or throw a party for them. It's really amazing because sometimes you see these children who don't even, can't even, speak, able to connect with you through the power of art.
I think it's an amazing time right now because all celebrities have a charity, at least one. That's how it should be. It's the best trend to happen and we can thank Angelina Jolie [who supports a host of charities including the Clinton Global Initiative, Unicef, UNHCR and Doctors without Borders] for it. She's done some amazing stuff. There are a lot of children in the world who need us. We get so much attention for being a celebrity and what we wear, and it's really meaningless at the end of the day if you don't attach it to something. That's why I love this trend. There have been many before Angelina - Audrey Hepburn was a huge inspiration back in the day - but I feel Angelina has made it really cool to be part of a charity and to give back, and I love what she's doing.
I think we're all becoming very, very compassionate now. I think we're at a time in the world where I think we're evolving as people."
JIM CARREY
Actor and two-times Golden Globe award winner, known for Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
"I do have philanthropic concerns and I try not to make them too loud. But I'm involved with something called System of Rice Intensification. But it's not just for rice but for other crops. And I've been going around the world speaking directly to farmers spreading awareness about a method of growing rice that uses 50 per cent less water and yields four times as much rice. It's an incredible thing. The details are on the website of the foundation I set up called BetterU Foundation (www.betterufoundation.org)."
JODIE FOSTER
Actor, director and producer, known for The Silence of the Lambs and The Beaver
"Medical depression isa serious business. I worked with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (www.nami.org) and it's almost like a crisis hotline. Just being on a phone line there for somebody to call and to ask questions, to tell people the latest treatment methods... is most effective, depending on the circumstance. Also, it is incredibly effective in helping people understand that [a mental condition] isn't something that no one else has ever lived through. It is important for them to be able to connect to and reach out to other people and to know that they're not alone in this. It could be the difference between life and death."
AVRIL LAVIGNE
Canadian singer andsongwriter, knownfor Alice from the film Alice in Wonderland
"With the career has come a lot of charitable options. I've done a lot with Make-A-Wish Foundation. My fan base includes a lot of young people and that inspired me to start my foundation, The Avril Lavigne Foundation (http://theavrillavignefoundation.org) which supports children and youth living with serious illnesses and disabilities. I'm looking forward to expanding it. I really want to make a difference and help out. I know my fans have always been really good with supporting causes. I'll get them on board. I attended the Clinton Global Initiative to learn about issues that I wasn't aware of. There are so many issues out there that require one's attention - paucity of clean water, pollution, the environment, child obesity... I finally chose to focus on disabilities and sickness."
MATT DAMON
American actor and screenwriter, known for Good Will Hunting and The Bourne Ultimatum
"I have been working with water.org. We highlight a problem that is truly massive. Every 15 seconds a child is dying because it does not have access to clean water and sanitation. We are working towards drastically reducing that number over time."
AMANDA SEYFRIED
Actress, known for Red Riding Hood and Chloe
"My dad had Type I diabetes and I want to raise funds for diabetes research. I know there's hardly any money in research for diabetes compared to cancer research. I also gave some funds to the Eric Trump Foundation [which helps children with life-threatening diseases] recently. I am also part of this group called Word Theatre where we do stage readings, stories and stuff for different charities. One of the charities is Cure Autism Now and Autism Speaks. We go on stage and read stories written by kids with autism."
PAUL WALKER
Actor, famous for his role in The Fast and the Furious
"I'm doing a lot of initiatives with shark research and The Billfish Foundation (the only non-profit organisation dedicated to conserving and enhancing billfish populations around the world).I started my own foundation which has been a lot of fun. It's called Reach Out Worldwide(www.roww.org) and aims to offer help and hope to people affected by natural disasters by providing them with first aid, medical supplies, water filters and other life-saving measures. I worry about environmental stuff, conservation, recycling, all that stuff."
KIM CATTRALL
Actress, known for playing Samantha Jones in Sex andthe City
"Lighthouse for the Blind (www.lighthouse.org) is a great organisation that's dedicated to overcoming vision impairment through rehabilitation, education and research. One year I sold all my clothes to raise money for the charity. Some of the stuff I had worn on the show, some I had worn to premieres... My association with this great organisation will never end."
JAMES MCAVOY
Actor, known for The Last King of Scotland and X-men: First Class
"In Uganda, I work with an amazing organisation called Retrak (www.retrak.org). It began in Uganda but has now spread to Kenya as well. They basically rehouse street kids and sometimes, if they can, get them back with their larger families if their parents aren't there any more or if they can't find the parents. They basically try to keep the children off the streets. A lot of kids that come from the countryside and end up basically fighting for their lives. I'm glad that my eyes were opened to such issues."
JOE JONAS
Singer, actor, dancer and member of the Jonas Brothers,a pop-rock band
"I am very involved with the Special Olympics. I started a ‘fun run' for it, raising both awareness and money…I would like to go to Congress and speak on their behalf and meet with senators from all different states and get them involved a little more. It is really great for people with intellectual disabilities to get involved with the Special Olympics because then the rate at which they get work is increased." (Read our story on the Special Olympics on p.14.)
LEONARDO DICAPRIO
Actor, known for Inception, Titanic and J Edgar
Leonardo DiCaprio is a juror for the UAE-based Zayed Future Energy Prize, recognised as the world's most prestigious award for renewable energy and sustainability. He joins a distinguished panel which includes Mohammad Nasheed, president of the Republic of the Maldives; Andre Agassi, tennis icon and founder of the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education; and Cherie Blair, founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation.
The prize is open to individuals, large companies, entrepreneurs, small-to-medium-size enterprises (SMEs) and NGOs in the field of renewable energy and sustainability. The winner in the SMEs/NGOs category will get $1.5 million.
Vestas, a global market leader in providing wind-power plants and which has innovative ideas to promote clean, renewable wind power as one of the world's mainstream power solutions was the 2011 winner.
DiCaprio says, "I think the environmental movement is the biggest people's movement in the world. Since I was very young I've been fascinated with nature and, in fact, wanted to be a marine biologist. When I'm not making movies I'm active as an environmentalist and am trying to be more vocal about issues that I feel are important. I created my foundation and my website (www.leonardodicaprio.com) as a result of that. I try to shed some light on some very topical issues.
"Right now I'm campaigning to save the last remaining wild tigers in Asia. There are only around 3,200 (according to worldwildlife.org) left in the wild. We're at risk of losing this iconic species for all time. Shark finning is another issue I'm campaigning against. It's banned in California so it's going to save a lot of these top predators in the ocean.
"The idea is to get people to become more knowledgeable about the issue, and also try to get corporations and individuals to contribute to these non-profit organisations."
(For more on saving sharks read "The teenage shark whisperer" on p.26.)
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
Singer, songwriter and actor, known for The Social Network
"Saving the environment seems obvious to me. It seems like something we all should be doing. So if I have a platform, however big or small it may be, if it would inspire one person then that's an opportunity.
"I like golf and am also passionate about helping the environment. I combined both these passions when I turned the Mirimichi, a golf course in Memphis that my family and I bought, into an eco-friendly wildlife sanctuary. And I do a PGA tournament [to raise finds for] the Shriners Hospitals for Children in the US [which provides high-quality care to children with neuro-musculoskeletal conditions, burn injuries and other special health-care needs]."
SEAN PENN
Oscar-winning actor, known for Mystic River and I am Sam
"I remember the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti which claimed around 300,000 people. But apart from the earthquake it is the poverty which is deeply disturbing. The problems the people there face today have nothing to do with the earthquake. They're everything to do with poverty. The Haitians were making $1-$2 (Dh3.67-Dh7.34) a day before the earthquake. Most of those jobs were lost in the earthquake. Thousands of people are still living in these floorless tarp shelters most of which get flooded in a light rain. Many, in fact, see death by mudslide and flood. As founder, chief executive officer and chairman of the Board of J/P Haitian Relief Organization (www.jphro.org) we aim to save lives and bring sustainable programmes to the Haitian people quickly and effectively. The organisation has three primary areas of operations and programmes. We do rubble removal and demolition of buildings that are on the verge of collapse. In many of these neighbourhoods, there's no lighting, clean water, waste disposal or basic sanitation... So, we have to implement those things as well as schools and clinics in those areas. Once you do that people are able to return, markets start to appear... Haitians are very resilient people. You don't have to give them much to get them going. So, extraordinary things happen very quickly."
KALEY CUOCO
American film and TV actor, known for her role in the TV series Charmed
"I'm a big animal person and really like to promote animals' rights and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (www.peta.org).
"Much as I would like to do many things, it's good to focus on just a few. So for me it's all about animal rescue and adoption. I also volunteer at my local animal shelter.
"One thing I tell people is ‘volunteer at your shelter'. I know it sounds crazy, but animals need attention more than anything else. At this point, it's not even about finding them homes. That said, a lot of people are into rescuing animals which is great.
"I'm also involved with EB (Epidermolysis bullosa) which is a very rare inherited disease that causes blisters in the skin and mucosal membranes. I am trying to raise funds for the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation."
