Good for him..
While his fellow Oscar nominees basked in accolades and air kisses, Don Cheadle was wrapping up three days of living in a tent while visiting refugees from the genocidal conflict in Sudan. Tapped for Best Actor on Tuesday for his role in "Hotel Rwanda," Cheadle hits Capitol Hill today to talk to the media about his experiences in refugee camps on Chad's border with Sudan's Darfur region.
The actor joined five members of Congress in a delegation headed by Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.). Also on the trip: Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager who sheltered more than 1,200 people during the Rwandan genocide a decade ago. (Cheadle portrays him in the movie.)
In recent months, Cheadle and the "Hotel Rwanda" filmmakers have been screening the movie for diplomats and U.N. officials to promote Western peacekeeping efforts in Africa. We're told the actor had no idea he was nominated until after he touched down in Chad's capital, N'Djamena, late Tuesday.
"Once he had phone service again, after being out of contact for three days, he got the call from Los Angeles," said Riva Levinson, a Washington publicist on international issues, who was traveling with Cheadle.