Matt Damon, perhaps best known for his role as amnesiac spy Jason Bourne in the Bourne trilogy of films, has come across as rather astute and intelligent in a new interview where he shows how much more important family are to him, rather than fame. Esquire magazine managed to get under the skin of Hollywood heartthrob Damon for long enough to hear the A-list actor and hunky philanthropist speak candidly about his views on life as a celebrity.

Matt Damon
Matt Damon: Keeping It Real In The Limelight.

For all a celebrity's Hollywood fame, glamour and popularity the one thing they might crave most is a little time alone with their family away from the flashbulbs and Dictaphones, as Damon demonstrates when he compares himself to Brad Pitt. There is a twinge of poignancy to Damon's words as he tells of fellow actor Brad Pitt's anguish that he cannot so much as drop his children of at the school gates without being pestered by the paparazzi: "I remember telling [Brad] that I walk my kids to school, and his face just fell," with Damon adding darkly "I see the intensity of...the paparazzi and the insane level of aggression they have and their willingness to break the law and invade his space - well, I wonder about that trade," as reported by Yahoo!omg!  However, the biggest difference between the two actors is that Pitt married Angelina Jolie, an actress, who is very much permanently in the public eye with their highly documented child adoption and Jolie's breast cancer scare. Damon, on the other hand, says that with regards to himself "there's not really any story to tell," saying "they're always going to get the same story - middle-aged married guy with four kids. So as long as that narrative doesn't change too much, there's no appetite for it."

Matt Damon Luciana Barroso
Matt Damon With His Wife Luciana Barroso - The Pair Met When She Worked In A Bar.

His Argentinian wife of eight years, Luciana Barroso, is someone who Damon calls "a civilian," implying that marrying her has prevented the 42 year-old and his young family - three daughters with Barroso, one stepdaughter - from being hounded in the same way as World War Z star Pitt. "I got lucky. I fell in love with a civilian," Damon muses. "Not an actress and not a famous actress at that. Because then the attention doesn't double - it grows exponentially. Because then suddenly everybody wants to be in your bedroom."

Pitt and Damon certainly lead lifestyles that many would sell their grandmother but, clearly, fame can be a corrosive force in a world where you just want a bit of peace and quiet.