Matt Damon pities his pal Brad Pitt because the intense paparazzi attention he attracts prevents the Hollywood star from enjoying the small things in life - like walking his kids to school.
The pair has become firm friends since co-starring in the Ocean's Eleven franchise, but while the Bourne Identity actor has managed to raise his children away from the spotlight, Pitt and his fiancee Angelina Jolie often have to contend with hordes of snappers every time they step out with their brood of six - and it's the one side of fame Damon is grateful to do without.
He tells Esquire magazine, "If you can control the celebrity side of celebrity, then it (being super famous) is 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. 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 b**tard'. Because he should be able to do that, too. And he can't."
And Damon insists finding love with former bartender Luciana Barroso helped him to remain low-key outside of work because she is not involved in the entertainment industry
.He says, "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 (to report on). 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 as long as that narrative doesn't change too much, there's no appetite for it."
