I'm a filmmaker, I'm a storyteller, an entertainer, if you will, so what can I do to participate? Well, I'm not a scientist; I'm not an expert on environmental law; I'm a guy that can tell stories. So I always look for a way to communicate ideas and help to spread excitement for change.
Because when you go out, and you have fun, basically you're performing for these tabloid outlets and the paparazzi. And when you perform and create this story, they're chuffed - they get excited, they capture it, and they put it out.
I think anybody who's famous has to deal with their fame in their own way, and I dealt with it by making a film about a kid who's looking out into the world of celebrity obsession.
I've always been a very rebellious, philosophical person, so my mother set the foundation for my appreciation for nature and my empathy for other people. But then, being a sort of rebellious, philosophical thinker, I'm always looking for new ways to shake things up. So I feel like I'm really lucky to be alive in a time where there's so much opportunity to disrupt and shake it up. It's sort of a combination between that and having the foundation that my mother gave me.
Understanding that which is foreign to you is fundamental to cultivating a sense of connection and unity with one another. We are ultimately trying to accomplish the same thing, which is survival and the thriving of a better world.
I think it's important that we run that tension between the way things are, in terms of the way we're governed, and the way we sort of become complacent.
We can't be naive and think we can go it alone; we must humble ourselves and commit to routine and collective actions. This is just one reason why I am thrilled to be working with the UN Environment as its Goodwill Ambassador.
I really do believe that in order to overcome our environmental shortcomings, we have to act united as a people, and that means that every individual has to participate and do their part. Certainly, we need government and legislation, but the governments really listen to people, so we all have to bring to the table our own effort or our own passion in whatever way that manifests itself.