| Getty Images |
Two-time Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou (“In America,” “Blood Diamond”) brought his international star power to the Hill on Tuesday to advocate for renewal of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act.
The National Network for Youth invited him to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee (or, more specifically, just its chairman, Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy) because of Hounsou’s own experiences.
Recommended Stories
Born in Benin, West Africa, he moved to Paris at age 13. He ultimately wound up living on the streets until being discovered by a fashion designer. He now lives primarily in Los Angeles.
“The issue is close to me because I survived and overcame the problems of being homeless and not having a place to go, so I think it is important to tell my side of the story,” he told us.
It’s not Hounsou’s first time in Washington; he’s also lobbied for the One Campaign and Oxfam.
Another celeb on the Hill Tuesday, whose connection to his issue was somewhat less apparent, was character actor Bob Balaban (“Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Seinfeld,” “A Mighty Wind”). Balaban, who also attended Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, joined a cast of congressional leaders and Rolling Thunder bikers to push for a new version of the GI Bill.
And he began by acknowledging the apparent incongruity. “Many of you will have absolutely no idea who I am and you might think I was your accountant or dentist,” he said.
He then went on to concede he had “no apparent personal connection” to the issue, save the fact he got into it by talking to a lot of people in airports and subways and “asking a lot of questions.” Whatever works.
