By all accounts, we would’ve understood if Emma Watson were a typical celebrity and regarded Hurricane Sandy as an inconvenience. After all, she was filming Darren Aronofsky‘s Biblical epic Noah in New York City when the tropical storm hit last week. At the time, Emma jokingly tweeted, I take it that the irony of a massive storm holding up the production of Noah is not lost @DarrenAronofsky @russellcrowe @MattyLibatique
But rather than hide in her trailer or find a way back to Hollywood — or her home of London — until the crew was ready to start up again, Emma ventured out onto the powerless streets of NYC with City Meals on Wheels. She joined ex-CNN anchor Paula Zahn and celebrity chef Sandra Lee (who’s dating New York Governor Andrew Cuomo) in delivering meals to the homebound elderly in Manhattan and the outer boroughs.
The experience obviously touched Emma, who tweeted her volunteer’s badge the other day:
Seriously, this girl is making a great impression during her short time in the Big Apple! Over Halloween she introduced herself as Hermione Granger to a little boy dressed up as Harry Potter, and now she’s out on the streets doing her part to pitch in with the city’s residents. I’m truly impressed. She’s under no obligation to do anything but her job, but she’s gone above and beyond.
The only part of the story that surprises me is that her rep made a point to tell E! Online about Emma’s good deed. I had wondered if she might keep silent about helping out, like Alec Baldwin and Ben Stiller, who did their work without announcing their involvement. Ben even looked annoyed when a Redditor snapped a photo of him serving food at a shelter. But maybe Emma’s reps figured it was a good way to inspire other people to donate their time and clothes to helping the New York residents who were displaced or trapped by the storm. In which case, I totally support publicizing Emma’s stint as a City Meals on Wheels volunteer.
Source
