'The Martian' Star Matt Damon Speaks Out on Gay Rumors, Being Out In Hollywood
There was a time when Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's tight "bromance" was rumored to be a romance.The two Hollywood A-listers, who shot to fame together as Academy Award winners for their "Good Will Hunting," were best friends since childhood, but their partnership spurred speculations of something more when they were new names in the industry.
Damon opened up about the rumored relationship between him and his childhood friend Affleck in an interview with The Guardian saying he's "sure" it's harder for actors to be openly gay in Hollywood.
"When Ben and I first came on the scene there were rumours that we were gay because it was two guys who wrote a script together," he shared.
The 44-year-old actor, who played Liberace's lover Scott Thorson in "Behind the Candelabra," found it difficult to deal with the rumors of being gay at that time.
"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?" Damon explained. "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 continued, "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 a different landscape now in the industry, but Damon is a believer in his right to being private with his personal life.
"But in terms of actors, I think you're a better actor the less people know about you period," he said. "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.
Clearly, the rumors did not have a lasting effect on their friendship. The two Boston natives are close buddies to this day and have built separate successful careers for themselves in the entertainment industry. Although they have worked separately for much of their careers, the pair recently worked together behind the scenes as executive producers of "Project Greenlight," and Damon said he's willing to reunite again if a good opportunity presents itself.
"Sure, if the right thing came along," he affirmed during the interview with The Guardian. "I mean, he usually gives himself the main role in the thing he's directing, so it would need to probably be a two-hander."
In an interview with Today, Damon pointed out that the childhood best friends have a company together.
"We're constantly developing stuff," he said. "We want to work together, obviously, it's just that we want to get it right."
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