Make It Right was founded by Brad Pitt two years after Hurricane Katrina hit. Make It Right builds safe, sustainable homes for New Orleans families. They also work with communities in other areas of the country to provide energy-efficient, affordable housing for disabled veterans, senior adults and low-income families. eBay teamed up with Brad Pitt’s charity Make It Right to run an online fundraiser. They are auctioning off a variety of celebrity experiences and mementos. The auction officially started February 8th and it will end February 15th at 4:15 p.m. EST. Bid online at http://celebrity.ebay.com/
Interviewed by Giacinta Pace
Introductions by Meg Zrini
Matthew Settle is most famous for his role as Rufus Humpfrey on the CW hit Gossip Girl. He had also been seen on the HBO mini-series Band of Brothers and on the Broadway stage as Billy Flynn in Chicago. Matthew currently has two movies in the works due to be released this year.
Q: Can you tell me a little bit about this organization?
Matthew: Brad Pitt was down there the next day, after the storm hit. He was building houses. It’s something we have to keep doing and sustain the efforts because there’s a lot of construction that needs to be done. I just did this Miley Cyrus film down there and you can see the devastation when you talk to the people and hear how it affected their lives. The people that live there, they’re still in shock from it. It’s changed things forever. You go downtown and you can see buildings that still need to be rebuilt. It destroyed a lot of things. You can see water lines everywhere. It’s an interesting experience, especially with the whole crew down there. We had a really bad storm one day and you can see the tension in them, just having to go through that again. It’s traumatizing.
Q: What’s your biggest hope for the charity?
Matthew: That it raises money for the houses that are needed for people.
Shailene Woodley is best known for her role as Amy Juergens in the ABC Family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She is also known for her work in The Descendants co-starring with George Clooney where she received a Golden Globe nomination. Shailene was first noticed for her acting work when she was nominated for a Young Actors Award for Best performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special as the leading actress in A Place Called Home.
Q: How did you get involved with this organization?
Shailene: I think it’s amazing what Brad Pitt and his team are doing. I think it’s incredible when people are given a lot in life and they pay it forward. I really respect the fact that Brad and his team are seeking with integrity and helping families thrive. I think it’s not only about surviving nowadays; it’s about thriving in your current situations. I think he’s giving hope to families who didn’t know that there was hope. Doing it in an ecofriendly manner I think is so important. I think that they are doing it right and I highly support that.
Q: What’s your hope for the future of the organization?
Shailene: That it keeps growing and that a lot more people hear about it and donate. Donate not only their money but their time too. I think it’s important to have as many volunteers as possible and as many minds as possible.
Paula Patton is best known for her role as Ms. Rain in Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire. She is also known for her work in Déjà Vu and Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Other works include Idlewild, Swing Vote and Jumping the Broom. Paula is married to singer/songwriter Robin Thicke and they have one son named Julian Fuego.
Q: How did you find out about this organization and how did you get involved?
Paula: I’ve really been so impressed with Brad Pitts dedication and passion to this organization Make It Right because we all know that disasters and tragedies happen and for the first month or so everyone is very involved and then it seems to go away. I remember, we were making a movie Déjà Vu and we were one of the first movies to come back and make a film in New Orleans. I saw the disaster in that community and I realized it wasn’t a month, it wasn’t a year but it was years. To see his dedication to rebuilding this community year after year is really impressive to me. Then you have a company like eBay, which is clearly a money making venture but it’s important in this world we’re living in now, to give back. We can’t forget about the people who live in it. How can we make it a better world? God knows if it hit one of us, we’d want the help ourselves so I admire a company like eBay that decided to get involved and find a way that they can also help. A lot of those people owned those homes for generations, when you take that away, the pride is gone. It’s unfair in many ways, because it seems it was a preventable disaster. I really admire Brad and what he’s done. It’s really incredible.
Q: How are you able to part with your Oscar dress for the charity?
Paula: For me, it’s a small little donation. You wear a dress once, when are you going to wear it again? I don’t think hording is a good thing in the end. What am I going to do with it? It sits in storage, who cares? I’d rather someone else have it and create new memories. If the person who bought it is able to have some joy and create their own new memories and that money goes to helping, in a small way, build another home or what have you for someone else then please. The truth is, you put things away and you never look at it again. It was a special moment in my life so in some ways it was fun to let it go and have someone else hopefully enjoy it. It was my first time at the Oscars and my first time being pregnant and it was exciting for me. It clearly isn’t sample size. They didn’t need it back for a shoot. I was lucky they let me keep it and I though well let me pay it forward and let someone else enjoy it.
