Matt Damon: Gay actors should remain closeted
"I think it must be really hard for actors to be out publicly,” Damon said.
Matt Damon has shared some surprisingly conservative thoughts on gay actors who choose to be open about their sexuality. In an interview with The Guardian, the Martian star suggested that gay actors would be better served by remaining in the closet.
“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.”
Damon specifically cited Rupert Everett, saying he took “a hit” to his career for coming out. Everett recently told the BBC that coming out had made it much harder for him to obtain leading roles, stating that he “would not advise any actor necessarily, if he was really thinking of his career, to come out.”
Damon also noted that he and Ben Affleck were the subject of numerous gay rumors when they “came on the scene,” all because they were “two guys who wrote a script together.”
“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,” Damon continued. “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.”
It’s worth pointing out that, in the same interview that he stated “people shouldn’t know anything about your sexuality,” Damon specifically mentioned his wife and children.
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