When it comes to being a Hollywood star, there are some things Matt Damon is happy to do without—and with apologies to Jimmy Kimmel—it's no surprise it's the paparazzi.
Appearing on the cover of Esquire's August edition to promote his highly anticipated sci-fi extravaganza, Elysium , the 42-year-old actor expressed how lucky he is to live a life (mostly) under the radar. However he lamented how his good buddy Brad Pitt isn't afforded the same break due to his relationship with partner Angelina Jolie.
"If you can control the celebrity side of celebrity, then it's worth it. I look at Brad—and I have for years—and when I'm with him I see the intensity of that other side of it," Damon told the magazine about the media glare his Ocean's costar usually finds himself under.
"And the paparazzi and the insane level of aggression they have and their willingness to break the law and invade his space—well, I wonder about that trade. I remember telling him that I walk my kids to school, and his face just fell. He was very kind, but he was like, 'You bastard.' Because he should be able to do that, too. And he can't."
The actor also dished on how lucky he feels to be a relatively "regular guy" free from the prying eyes of photographers having married, Luciana Barroso, the mother of his four children and with whom he just renewed his wedding vows a few months back.
"I got lucky. I fell in love with a civilian. Not an actress and not a famous actress at that. Because then the attention doesn't double—it grows exponentially. Because then suddenly everybody wants to be in your bedroom. But I don't really give them anything," Damon said. "If I'm not jumping up and down on a bar, or lighting something on fire, or cheating on my wife, there's not really any story to tell. They can try to stake me out, but they're always going to get the same story—middle-aged married guy with four kids. So long as that narrative doesn't change too much, there's no appetite for it."
The Boston native was aware however that all that could change since he and his missus are about to move to L.A., having a purchased a home on the same block as BFF Ben Affleck and his wife, Jennifer Garner, where paps are staked out on a routine basis.
But he admitted that aside from opening a production company, Pearl Street Films, Damon committed to it because, as he said, "most of our old friends with kids live in L.A. and their kids don't know me. I don't like that."
We guess some things really are worth trading a little anonymity for after all. To read the full interview, go to Esquire.com.