‘We Live In This Culture Of Outrage And Injury’: Matt Damon Opens Up About Sexual Harassment In Hollywood
Matt Damon opens up about the recent storm of sexual assault allegations that have engulfed Hollywood and shares his thoughts on the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
Matt Damon Weighs In On The Harvey Weinstein Scandal
More than 60 women, including the likes of Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Lena Headey, and Gwyneth Paltrow, have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct and sexual harassment following an explosive article published by the New York Times on Oct. 5.
During an interview on ABC's Popcorn With Peter Travers, Downsizing actor Matt Damon candidly spoke about the recent scandal. Damon stated he had no knowledge of Weinstein's inappropriate behavior toward women but knew that he wouldn't want someone close to him to get married to the former studio exec
The actor, who worked with the 65-year-old producer on Good Will Hunting, pointed out that people who made movies with Weinstein were not aware of his sexual misconduct.
"Any human being would have put a stop to that, no matter who he was," he said. "They would've said, 'Absolutely no.'"
The 47-year-old star added that Weinstein had the reputation of a "bully" in the industry and the appearance of a womanizer but he doesn't hang out with him. In October, Damon added he was never fond of Weinstein but he would've never imagined that he could be responsible for such horrendous acts.
Sexual Misconduct In The Industry
The Weinstein controversy spurred the hashtag #MeToo and encouraged several men and women to come forward with allegations of sexual abuse against high-profile individuals in the industry.
The campaign also shed light on the widespread presence of sexual abuse in the entertainment industry and exposed a number of celebrities including Kevin Spacey and Louis C.K. Damon commended C.K. when the 50-year-old comedian admitted to his wrongdoing.
"Well, we can work with that," he told Travers.
A Culture Of Outrage And Injury
Damon also referred to the recent Al Franken controversy during the interview. The Minnesota senator resigned from the US Senate after multiple women accused him of groping and kissing them without their consent. The actor said he would've preferred a Senate Ethics Committee to look into the allegations.
He also voiced his concern over how people are so "energized" for "retribution" that they tend to get to mix the different types of harassment.
"We live in this culture of outrage and injury," Damon said. "You know, that we're going to have to correct enough to kind of go, 'Wait a minute. None of us came here perfect.'"
