Affleck & McCain: Capitol Hill's Odd Couple
WASHINGTON D.C. (CBS) - Ben Affleck and Cindy McCain, wife of Arizona Sen. John McCain, have teamed up to draw attention to conditions in the Congo. And if you think that's an odd pairing, you're not alone. McCain recently disclosed that she thought she was being prank-called when the Oscar-winning actor first reached out to her.
PICTURES: Ben Affleck
PICTURES: Cindy McCain
"I didn't believe it was him, of course," McCain told ABC's Jake Tapper.
"She thought it was a prank call," said Affleck.
The two made headlines Tuesday when they testified on Capitol Hill before the before the House Africa, Global Health and Human Rights Subcommittee, drawing on data they gathered during a trip to Africa last month.
The 38-year-old Berkeley-born and raised in Boston actor, who won an Oscar in 1998 for the "Good Will Hunting" screenplay, has been involved in helping the Congo since 2008 and last year started a nonprofit group called Eastern Congo Initiative to help bring aid to natives in a country that has been mired in civil war.
He called on Congress to help protect Congolese civilians and to support the upcoming elections in that country in November. Affleck, who has recently turned his attention to directing ("Gone Baby Gone" and "The Town"), has long been active in Democratic campaigns and causes.
McCain, an Arizona businesswoman and philanthropist, was active in her husband's 2008 race for president on the Republican ticket.
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