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VIDEO: Matt Damon Says His Comments About Gay Actors Were Misrepresented
Watch him explain what he really meant
Matt Damon doesn't really think gay actors should stay in the closet. His recent misfire with the press is simply a case of words being taken out of context, he says.
In a taped interview airing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday, Damon cleared the air about comments he made in The Guardian that seemed to imply that gay actors would be better off in Hollywood if they stay closeted.
"I was just trying to say actors are more effective when they're a mystery," he told DeGeneres. "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."
Watch Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel go to couples therapy
Damon's most recent trouble came from him telling The Guardian, "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." He apologized earlier this month for comments he made about diversity during Project Greenlight.
Watch a clip from his interview with Ellen DeGeneres: