Sigh. I always liked Matt Damon.
Hello, Good Will Hunting! Unfortunately, his choice of words these days are, well, unfortunate.
Following the slew of sexual harassment and sexual assault cases coming out of Hollywood these days, the A-list actor decided to weigh in.
“We’re in this watershed moment, and it’s great,” Matt said of how sexual predators such as Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, and more are being exposed on a near-daily basis.
“I think one thing that’s not being talked about is there are a whole s–tload of guys — the preponderance of men I’ve worked with — who don’t do this kind of thing and whose lives aren’t going to be affected.”
Ah yes, let’s talk about men who aren’t involved.
Matt Damon and Harvey Weinstein attend the Smoke Signal New York City premiere on June 23, 1998. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
The actor has been receiving backlash for his statements ever since his interview with ABC’s Popcorn with Peter Travers was released on Dec. 15.
“We live in this culture of outrage and injury. You know, that we’re going to have to correct enough to kind of go, ‘Wait a minute. None of us came here perfect.’ I think it’s wonderful that women are feeling empowered to tell their stories and it’s totally necessary.”
Okay that’s kind of condescending, but let’s continue.
“I do believe there’s a spectrum of behavior… There’s a difference between patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right? Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn’t be conflated.”
So apparently Matt, a non-victim, knows how people should feel after being sexually assaulted. But he also knows who should and shouldn’t have their careers ruined by committing these crimes! Among those who should get a pass: Al Franken and Louis C.K..
“That’s the sign of somebody who — well, we can work with that. I don’t know Louis C.K…. I’ve never met him. I’m a fan of his, but I don’t imagine he’s going to do those things again. I imagine the price that he’s paid at this point is so beyond anything,” he said.
“When you see Al Franken taking a picture putting his hands on that woman’s flak jacket and mugging for the camera… that is just like a terrible joke, and it’s not funny. It’s wrong, and he shouldn’t have done that. But when you talk about Harvey and what he’s accused of, that stuff happened secretly, because it was criminal and he knew it. So they don’t belong in the same category.”
C’mon, Matt. Be better!
This story was originally published on Life and Style.
