Damon’s ‘civilian’ solution

Matt Damon has discovered the ultimate paparazzi repellent—a non-famous wife, said Tom Junod in Esquire. “I got lucky,” says Damon, 42. “I fell in love with a civilian. Not an actress and not a famous actress at that. Because then the attention doesn’t double—it grows exponentially. Suddenly everybody wants to be in your bedroom.” Damon has been married to former Miami bartender Luciana Barroso for seven years, and their low-profile relationship means the actor and his family can walk out of their Manhattan home without being mobbed by photographers. “I don’t really give them anything,” he says. “They can try to stake me out, but they’re always going to get the same story: middle-aged married guy with four kids.” Damon says that his close friend Brad Pitt, whose partner is Angelina Jolie, dreams of living a similarly low-key life. “When I’m with him I see the [paparazzi’s] insane level of aggression and their willingness to break the law and invade his space,” Damon says. “I remember telling [Pitt] that I walk my kids to school, and his face just fell. He was very kind, but he was like, ‘You bastard.’ Because he should be able to do that, too. And he can’t.”