TORONTO - Matt Damon says becoming a parent has changed his outlook and reinforced his commitment to helping kids through charity work.
"At a certain point it becomes difficult to look at other children and not see your own," Damon said Monday, a few hours before hosting the annual OneXOne charity gala.
Damon's wife Luciana gave birth to a girl, Gia Zavala, about three weeks ago. They also have a two-year-old daughter, Isabella, and the actor is stepfather to his wife's daughter from a previous marriage.
"Something does change in you once you become a parent. ... There definitely is a shift there that makes you, I think, a little more obsessed about helping children," he said.
Then the actor flashes his trademark grin: "But it's not like before I had kids, I was like: 'to heck with those kids!"'
This marks the third year Damon has headed up the OneXOne gala, which is being held in the midst of the star-studded Toronto International Film Festival. This year's event features Wyclef Jean, John Legend and comedian Russell Peters.
The event is expanding. A OneXOne gala will be held in San Francisco next month, and a bash was held in Calgary earlier this year, hosted by longtime Damon cohort, Ben Affleck.
OneXOne is a charitable organization that provides aid to children in need around the world.
Damon, who was accompanied by his mother during a round of media interviews Monday, said he feels strongly about using his celebrity status to bring about positive change.
"I think you get a certain amount of celebrity capital . . . you can spend it how you choose. You can sell shampoo - you have your own choice and it's a personal choice," he said.
"A lot of my friends and a lot of the people I admire in the business choose to spend their celebrity capital trying to raise awareness about things and improve the conditions in people's lives ... We'll all be lying on that bed one day, and you have to make your peace with who you've been."
