Matt Damon is clarifying that he does NOT think gay actors must remain in the closet to better their careers.
Social media was abuzz with sarcastic claims of 'Damonsplaining' on Monday (September 28) for an interview in which Damon appeared to encourage actors to keep their "sexuality" out of the public eye.
"When Ben [Affleck] and I first came on the scene there were rumors that we were gay because it was two guys who wrote a script together," he told The Guardian. "[It] put us in a weird position of having to answer, you know what I mean?
"Which was then really deeply offensive. I don't want to, like [imply] it's some sort of disease – then it's like I'm throwing my friends under the bus.
"But at the time, I remember thinking and saying, Rupert Everett was openly gay and this guy – more handsome than anybody, a classically trained actor – it's tough to make the argument that he didn't take a hit for being out."
He went on to say: "I think it must be really hard for actors to be out publicly. But in terms of actors, I think you're a better actor the less people know about you period.
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"And sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether you're straight or gay, people shouldn't know anything about your sexuality because that's one of the mysteries that you should be able to play."
Damon was met with criticism following the publication of those comments, particularly because he discussed his own marriage in the same interview.
Seeking to clarify his stance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show yesterday, Damon insisted that he was not actually trying to encourage actors to remain in the closet.
"I was just trying to say actors are more effective when they're a mystery, right?" Damon explained. "And somebody picked it up and said I said gay actors should get back in the closet.
"Which is like, I mean it's stupid, but it is painful when things get said that you don't believe. You know what I mean? And then it gets represented that that's what you believe."
Damon was appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to promote his new movie The Martian, out on Wednesday (Septembr 30) in the UK and Friday (October 2) in the UK.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
