Original sentence: Heston later claimed it a point of pride that he helped in the civil rights cause "long before Hollywood found it fashionable", as he often says in his speeches
Edited sentence: Heston today considers it a point of pride that he helped in the civil rights cause "long before Hollywood found it fashionable", as he often says in his speeches.This is despite the fact that he only attended two events for civil rights, unlike actors who were much more heavily involved such as Marlon Brando, Burt Lancaster and James Garner