Here’s Why Everyone Is So Annoyed With Matt Damon

8 minute read

Matt Damon has had a rough time in the press lately, and it’s consistently been brought on by his own statements. In his documentary series about the film industry, Project Greenlight, Damon lectured a black filmmaker about diversity, for which he later apologized. And in an interview meant to promote his new movie The Martian, Damon suggested that gay actors should not be public about their sexuality, saying: “In terms of actors, I think you’re a better actor the less people know about you period. 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.”

It would follow that gay actors shouldn’t come out, that telling the world about their sexuality runs counter to the goals of an effective actor. What’s strangest of all is that this line of thinking comes after Damon, in the same interview, describes how painful it was to be considered Ben Affleck’s lover in the 1990s and briefly describes his family happiness. If Damon really believed actors ought to reveal nothing about their personal lives, even this would seem too much; that he’s giving gay people unsolicited advice, which he doesn’t follow, about how to live their lives seems like an unforced error at best.

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Damon has already suggested, in a follow-up interview with Ellen DeGeneres, that his remarks were taken out of context and sensationalized by online media. This is the frustrating sort of remark that’s not, strictly speaking, provable—the full context of what Damon said is known only to himself and his interviewer—but which manages to entirely sidestep clarifying his beliefs. The Matt Damon the public has now seen twice in recent weeks is a person whose openness about his beliefs is a double-edged sword. It’s admirable Damon is so unguarded about speaking freely (most actors on his level likely wouldn’t have a documentary series at all), but he seems to bristle whenever he runs up against anything that challenges his beliefs. His “apology” for the Project Greenlight incident is a classic sorry-if-you-were-offended non-apology, going so far as to congratulate himself: “My comments were part of a much broader conversation about diversity in Hollywood and the fundamental nature of Project Greenlight which did not make the show. I am sorry that they offended some people, but, at the very least, I am happy that they started a conversation about diversity in Hollywood.” And his defense of his recent comments is, more or less, that we should trust him that he’s not homophobic.

But no one was seriously alleging Damon was a homophobe in the first place. Damon, a star who came to prominence a generation ago, is used to being able to control the message; the free-for-all of the web has now seemed to shock him twice in recent memory. The criticism of Damon’s comments on actors hiding their sexuality wasn’t that it was monstrous; it was simply the observation that a straight actor can “keep his private life private” while walking red carpets with his spouse, which a gay actor simply cannot. There are people out there who know more about the experiences of gay people than does Damon, and when they reacted to Damon’s comments, he simply kept talking over them, louder.

It’s a strategy that feels taken from another era of star-making, and one that’s gone from making him look less-than-enlightened to raising real questions about why he cares this much about why actors should keep their private lives private. In his clarification of his remarks, Damon reiterated to Ellen DeGeneres how painful it was to be mistaken for gay in the 1990s. If this is informing his current crusade, maybe it’s time he moved on.

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67th Emmys Awards - Taraji P. Henson - 2015
Taraji P. Henson at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Jason Merritt—Getty Images
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SofÌa Vergara at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Dan Steinberg—Invision/Television Acad
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Ariel Winter and Laurent Claude Gaudette at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Charles Sykes—Invision
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Carice van Houten at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Danny Moloshok—Invision/Television Acad
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Nikolaj Coster-Waldau at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci—Invision/AP
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Gwendoline Christie at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Jason Merritt—Getty Images
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Sophie Turner at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
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Maisie Williams at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
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Elisabeth Moss at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Jason Merritt—Getty Images
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Jessica Pare attends the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz—WireImage/Getty Images
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January Jones at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles.Jason Merritt—Getty Images
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Kiernan Shipka at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Jason Merritt—Getty Images
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Christina Hendricks at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Jason Merritt—Getty Images
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Uzo Aduba at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci—Invision/AP
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Danielle Brooks at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci—Invision/AP
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Laverne Cox at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Jason Merritt—Getty Images
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Samira Wiley at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci—Invision/AP
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Laura Prepon at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Mark Ralston—AFP/Getty Images
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Dascha Polanco at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Larry Busacca—Getty Images
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Taryn Manning at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Jason Merritt—Getty Images
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Andy Samberg at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
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Heidi Klum at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci—Invision/AP
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Charissa Thompson at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Danny Moloshok—Invision/AP
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Nancy O’Dell at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Alberto E. Rodriguez—Getty Images
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Giuliana Rancic at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Alberto E. Rodriguez—Getty Images
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Teyonah Parris at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
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Tatiana Maslany at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci—Invision/AP
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Keltie Knight at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Danny Moloshok—Invision/AP
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Louise Roe arrives at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 20, 2015, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.Danny Moloshok—Invision/AP
67th Emmys Awards - Sarah Paulson - 2015
Sarah Paulson at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Mark Davis—Getty Images
67th Emmys Awards - Jessica Lange - 2015
Jessica Lange at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Mario Anzuoni—Reuters
67th Emmys Awards - Emma Roberts - 2015
Emma Roberts at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Steve Granitz—WireImage
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Lady Gaga at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Steve Granitz—WireImage
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Jamie Lee Curtis at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci—Invision/AP
67th Emmys Awards - Allison Janney - 2015
Allison Janney at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Dan Steinberg—Invision/AP
67th Emmys Awards - Lily Tomlin - 2015
Lily Tomlin at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Alberto E. Rodriguez—Getty Images
67th Emmys Awards - Aubrey Plaza - 2015
Aubrey Plaza at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci—Invision/AP
67th Emmys Awards - Amy Poehler - 2015
Amy Poehler at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Mario Anzuoni—Reuters
67th Emmys Awards - Julia Louis-Dreyfus - 2015
Julia Louis-Dreyfus at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Jason Merritt—Getty Images
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Tony Hale at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Jason Merritt—Getty Images
67th Emmys Awards - Jane Krakowski - 2015
Jane Krakowski at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Frazer Harrison—Getty Images
67th Emmys Awards - Amy Schumer - 2015
Amy Schumer at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Charles Sykes—Invision/AP
67th Emmys Awards - Nazanin Boniadi - 2015
Nazanin Boniadi at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Dan Steinberg—Invision/AP
67th Emmys Awards - Padma Lakshmi - 2015
Padma Lakshmi at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Mark Davis—Getty Images
67th Emmys Awards - Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein - 2015
Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci—Invision/AP
67th Emmys Awards - Renee Bargh - 2015
Renee Bargh at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci—Invision/AP
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Christine Marzano at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Jason Merritt—Getty Images
67th Emmys Awards - Kat Deeley - 2015
Kat Deeley at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Mario Anzuoni—Reuters
67th Emmys Awards - Liz Hernandez - 2015
Liz Hernandez at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci/Invision/AP
67th Emmys Awards - David Foster - 2015
David Foster at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 19, 2015 in Los Angeles. Dan Steinberg—Invision/AP
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Natasha Lyonne at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Jason Merritt—Getty Images
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Lauren Lapkus at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Paul Buck—EPA
67th Emmys Awards - David Benioff and Amanda Peet - 2015
David Benioff and Amanda Peet at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci—Invision/AP
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Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci—Invision/AP
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Kim Dickens at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Charles Sykes—Invision
67th Emmys Awards - Kate McKinnon - 2015
Kate McKinnon at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Danny Moloshok—Invision/Television Acad
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Nathan Anderson and Anthony Anderson at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Danny Moloshok—Invision/Television Acad
67th Emmys Awards - Tracee Ellis - 2015
Tracee Ellis at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Steve Granitz—WireImage/Getty Images
67th Emmys Awards - Maggie Gyllenhaal - 2015
Maggie Gyllenhaal at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Jason Merritt—Getty Images
67th Emmys Awards - Felicity Huffman - 2015
Felicity Huffman at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci—Invision/Television Acad
67th Emmys Awards - Regina King - 2015
Regina King at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Vince Bucci—Invision/AP
67th Emmys Awards - Debbie Matenopoulos - 2015
Debbie Matenopoulos at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Danny Moloshok—Invision/AP
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Ellie Kemper at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Mark Davis—Getty Images
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Morena Baccarin at the 67th Emmy Award on Sept. 20, 2015 in Los Angeles. Frazer Harrison—Getty Images

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