Wednesday, 20 June 2007

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Scarlett Johansson ditches Hollywood for India

Lost in Translation star to become an ambassador for Oxfam

Scarlett Johansson has decided to become an ambassador for Oxfam after being reduced to tears on her first visit to India.

The young starlet was so moved after talking to a young tsunami survivor who lost his house and most of his family, that she immediately offered to build him a new home.

‘I was so appalled by the living conditions that instead of being hysterical, I was shocked,’ says the 22-year-old actress.

‘When you see it on television you get emotional, but being here, you have to accept it as a reality.’

Scarlett wanted to see the devastation of poverty for herself and to find out if someone like her – any of us, in fact - could make a difference.

‘There is hope,’ she tells You magazine. ‘Once you’ve met such amazing people, you can’t turn your back.’

Nicola Agius