Pitt, Clooney, Cheadle move spotlight to Darfur

CANNES, France (Reuters Life!) - Hollywood celebrities Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Don Cheadle have more than just acting in common -- they share a passion about trying to help people from the Darfur region of Sudan.

At least 200,000 people have been killed and more than 2.3 million made homeless in the Darfur conflict among African rebel groups, the Arab-dominated government and militia who back them. The United States calls it a genocide.

The trio, in the midst of promoting their new movie "Ocean's Thirteen," took some time at the Cannes film festival to talk to Reuters about a fund raising group they formed, Not On Our Watch Foundation, to funnel aid to Darfur refugees:

Q: Why should people in other countries care about what is going on in Darfur when they have their own domestic issues, such as poverty in inner cities?

Clooney: "They don't have genocide in the inner cities, necessarily."

Cheadle: "And this is the highest crime, by definition, that occurs in the world."

Pitt: "There's also a self-interest argument ... If you're really looking for a peaceful world, you really feel subjected to conflicts that are raging, then investment in these conflicts is in our interest for our own safety."

Q: What can you, as actors, do to help?

Clooney: "We're not politicians. We're not able to actually make decisions. We're not able to do anything except bring attention to something, and that's the thing we can do. This is an event that needs continually for someone to bring attention to it because it completely goes off the radar because it's Africa."

Pitt: "Can I add, personally, I'm very bothered by this idea of us versus them ... It's a fact that kids are dying from diarrhea. There's something we can do about it. That just shouldn't be in this day and age. It just becomes unacceptable, and I guess it's that kind of thing I'd like to see change."

Q: There is this notion that while you can use your celebrity to raise money, some people think you are just big-time Hollywood stars looking for publicity.

Clooney: "At what point do you think any one of us needs more publicity? Brad has said he can't get out of the spotlight, and these people can't get in. I'm not going to defend what I believe is doing the right thing. At the end of the day, there is nothing to be gained for us, personally, except more work. But we are doing it because we all believe we would be criminal if we didn't."

Q: What does the money raised by the Not On Our Watch Foundation go toward?

Clooney: "The idea is to immediately affect change, which is something we've been able to do ...We've been able to dig wells, get mosquito nets, plastic covers for the rainy season that is coming -- things that will save lives immediately."

Cheadle: "You know, I co-authored a book (with activist John Prendergast called "Not on our Watch") that is No. 6 on the New York Times best seller list, and it just shows - not anything about me - but that people want to know. People are interested and want to investigate. That is very heartening."

Q: So, what can the public do to help?

Clooney: "Believe me, if you're an industry and you get 1,000 letters from people saying, "How dare you do business with a government that is committing genocide," that has an affect on whether those businesses want to sit down with the leaders of that country."

Pitt: "What people can do is gain the will to understand. It's a simple message I preach."

Clooney: "Get involved."

Cheadle: "Educate yourself, and organize."