For the second time this month, Matt Damon had to clarify comments he made in an interview after some perceived a quote he gave to The Guardian as anti-gay.
The British publication asked Damon if he thought it was harder for actors to be openly gay in Hollywood. He replied "I'm sure" and recalled rumors that surrounded his relationship with screenwriting partner and longtime friend Ben Affleck when their movie "Good Will Hunting" premiered in 1997.
"When Ben and I first came on the scene there were rumors that we were gay because it was two guys who wrote a script together," the 44-year-old actor said.
He continued, "It's just like any piece of gossip... and 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."
The Oscar winner married his wife Luciana in 2005. They have four daughters, one from Luciana's previous marriage.
Damon's next statement about actors keeping their sexual identity secret caused the greatest stir and led to him clarifying his words in an interview with Ellen scheduled to air on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
"I think it must be really hard for actors to be out publicly," he said. "But 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."
He shot the interview with Ellen on Monday when the Guardian story went live. He blamed the "blogosphere" for running with the idea that he implied gay actors should "get back in the closet."
"It's stupid," he reacted on "Ellen." "There's no real penalty for just taking the ball and running with it. You know what I mean? You're just trying to click on your thing."
Earlier this month, Damon had to apologize for comments on diversity and casting that he made in episode of his HBO series "Project Greenlight." The controversy spawned the hashtag #Damonsplaining.
