Matt Damon visited Ellen after suggesting to The Guardian that gay actors should stay in the closet.
Matt Damon addressed his controversial comments regarding gay actors in a recent appearance on Tuesday’s episode of Ellen.
“I was just trying to say actors are more effective when they’re a mystery. Right?” the actor said in a preview released Monday. “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.”
The leading actor on the upcoming sci-fi thriller The Martian was making an appearance on the daytime talk show when host Ellen DeGeneres gave him the opportunity to address the criticism he is currently receiving. “I know you and I know you’re not that guy,” the host told him.
“In the blogosphere there’s no real penalty for just taking the ball and running with it,” Damon said. “You know what I mean? You’re just trying to click on your thing. So.”
The actor ignited a controversy when he suggested in a recent interview that gay actors would be better off if people didn’t know about their sexuality.
“I think you’re a better actor the less people know about you period. And sexuality is a huge part of that,” he said. “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.”
The controversy comes only weeks after #Damonsplaining went viral on Twitter when he tried to argue against diversity hiring on his HBO reality show “Project Greenlight”.
During that particular episode, Matt Damon debated which director should direct their new production. Ultimately, Matt Damon argued that racial diversity only happens in front of the camera and not behind it.
“When we’re talking about diversity, you do it in the casting of the film, not in the casting of the show,” he said.
