Kristin Davis, everyone’s favorite actress from “Sex and the City,” made a visit to the State Department Tuesday to host a screening of her documentary, “Gardeners of Eden,” about wildlife conservation.
The documentary highlights the poaching and wildlife trafficking epidemic in Africa, focusing on a nursery in Tsavo National Park in Kenya, where workers rescue baby elephants whose parents have been killed.
“It’s really predominantly for awareness,” Davis said of the film, which she financed herself. “I do believe that people don’t know what’s happening, and I think if they did know what was happening, they would do something.”
{mosads}The screening was followed by a panel discussion between Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Shannon Smith, Michelle Gadd of the Fish and Wildlife Service, Bryan Christy of the National Geographic Society and Davis.
Davis is an executive producer for the film and a patron of Kenya’s David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
Davis first became involved with the elephant rescue cause in 2009, when she came across an orphaned calf while visiting Kenya. The calf was rescued and nursed back to health in the Nairobi elephant nursery.
“It was the beginning of the illegal poaching crisis, though I didn’t know it then,” Davis said.
Despite her generous support of the wildlife trust and passion for the cause, the Hollywood star says her activism won’t translate to a political career.
“I could never be careful enough in my speech to be a politician, can’t you tell?” she said. “I let the professionals do that, and I support the ones that I like.”
If she does make it up to Capitol Hill, she’ll be among fans of her popular sitcom, which ran from 1998-2004.
“I can’t think of any particular ones, but I have gone to the Hill before, and it was really surprising and fascinating who said what to me about [‘Sex and the City’],” Davis said.
Not wanting to name names, she remarked, “It was very interesting and not what I expected.”
Davis says she’s a fan of the capital, and enjoys visiting the monuments.
“I love D.C.! I was just here two weeks ago at the environmental film festival,” she said. “I have family here, and I’ve been here more times than I can count, but I love to see the monuments at night.”
“Gardeners of Eden” will premiere May 6 on Pivot, a TV channel, and in select theaters in New York City and Los Angeles.