Matt Damon: Gay actors shouldn’t come out

Matt then went on to say actors should be private about their sexuality in order to be more attractive to an audience.

Damon starred as Scott Thorson, the lover of Liberace in the drama film Behind the Candelabra.

In a new interview, The Martian star seemed to imply that gay actors were better off staying in the closet.

During the episode, Damon and his fellow producers – including Ben Affleck, the Farrelly brothers and “Dear White People” producer Effie Brown – debated the directing finalists they had to choose from, with Damon arguing that racial diversity should not be a factor.

Damon told The Guardian that out actors “take a hit for being out”, specifically mentioning Rupert Everett, who’s career sputtered after breaking out in the 1990s with My Best Friend’s Wedding.

Considering that “straight” is nearly assumed to be the “default” sexuality, perhaps having more openly gay actors could serve to reset that assumption-and change perspectives on which actors can play which roles as a result.

Do you think Matt Damon would make a good Matt Murdock?

After discussing Damon’s being a straight actor playing a gay character, the interviewer asked whether or not he thought it was hard for LGBT actors to be out in Hollywood. And sexuality is a huge part of that. “But in terms of actors, I think you’re a better actor the less people know about you period”. 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”. He’s actually promoting the idea that actors – regardless of their sexuality, gender and race – should emphasize their work more than their personal lives in the context of acting. You need to shut up cause we’re starting to really wish you were stuck on Mars (but hey, at least you’ll have water now). You may also be wondering why Matt Damon name-checked Rupert Everett.

“I’m sure”, said Damon.