Next up for Matt Damon: The Bourne Environmentalism.
The actor is one of a handful of celebs, including Damon's longtime pal Ben Affleck, who have teamed up with the Center for American Progress Action Fund to appear in Clean My Ride, Flex My Fuel, a series of short videos meant to raise awareness about climate change and the need for alternative fuel sources.
Spoofing the action hero persona he's cultivated in the blockbuster Jason Bourne trilogy, which continues Aug. 3 with The Bourne Ultimatum, Damon, dressed as a flex-fuel pump, urges Congress to get on the ball and then punches a guy who asks him to dance.
"Come on, Congress. Come on, big oil. Mandate cleaner cars and cleaner fuel," the 36-year-old good sport says. "A little bit of corn and a pinch of can-do attitude is all it takes. And kids love it, too. Yippee…
"I feel like I'm being Punk'd."
Affleck and wife Jennifer Garner, Sarah Silverman, Jason Biggs and Joshua Jackson also took time out to appear in Clean My Ride, Flex My Fuel, which follows an activist named Phin and his team of A-listers on their quest to educate the masses about ethanol and other substitutes for what's currently coming out of most gas pumps.
"He has a limp, cause and his own theme song," a deep-voiced narrator intones.
The first video in the six-part series will be available for viewing on youtube.com and on the Clean My Ride Website starting Tuesday, with new installments to follow tomorrow and Thursday. Visitors to the site can also print out a form letter to send to Washington encouraging lawmakers to adopt a 35 mile-per-gallon fuel economy standard by 2020—a target Detroit automakers have called unachievable.
As Al Gore has helped prove, however, quite a few Hollywood types disagree with the Motown bigwigs.
Affleck, for one, appears in Clean My Ride, Flex My Fuel as an ear of corn—a possible alt-fuel source, of course—that offers to take down "Big Oil."
"Congress bows to fear," Affleck-as-corn hisses. "I bring the fear. Does big oil sleep around? Got bad credit? I'll find the dirt. And I will make big oil regret the day it ever uttered the words 'price gouging.'"
The Hollywoodland star's missus, Jennifer Garner, gets to wear regular clothes, however, as does Sarah Silverman, who disses her mother for driving a gas guzzler in her signature snide yet passive-aggressive way.
The Center for American Progress think tank is headed up by Bill Clinton's former chief of staff, John Podesta.