Matt Damon has found himself embroiled in various controversies over the past few years due to his misguided statements. In 2017, in light of the Weinstein case, the Jason Bourne actor remarked that having four daughters made the issue of s*xual predation more alarming to him. This led to criticism, with some suggesting that he was only concerned because he had daughters.
In December 2017, Damon advocated for analyzing s*xual misconduct cases on a “spectrum of behavior,” implying that some cases were less serious than others. His latest controversy arose in 2021 when The Last Duel actor revealed that he had stopped using a derogatory term for homosexuals after his daughter confronted him and penned a beautiful treatise.
Matt Damon Admitted To Using F-Slurs In His The Times Interview
During an interview with The Times, Matt Damon was discussing the evolving notions of masculinity. The Elysium actor recounted an incident involving his daughter confronting him about using a derogatory word. Damon explained to her that the term was common usage during his youth and she then wrote a treatise persuading him to stop using it. The Ford v. Ferrari actor said:
“The word that my daughter calls the ‘f-slur for a homosexual’ was commonly used when I was a kid, with a different application. I made a joke, months ago, and got a treatise from my daughter. She left the table. I said, ‘Come on, that’s a joke! I say it in the movie Stuck on You!’ She went to her room and wrote a very long, beautiful treatise on how that word is dangerous. I said, ‘I retire the f-slur!’ I understood.”
However, this revelation faced strong backlash, with critics accusing the Oppenheimer actor of ceasing to use the word only due to his daughter’s influence, rather than a genuine change of heart. Damon was accused of being homophobic, with one Twitter user noting, “Everyone acting all surprised about Matt Damon using a slur like they never heard about his early days in Boston”.
The controversy got even more mileage after The Martian actor later claimed in an interview with Variety that he had never used the f-slur in his life.
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Matt Damon Recanted His Earlier Story After Backlash
Later, Matt Damon clarified that he had never used any slurs in his personal life. The 52-year-old actor acknowledged why people may have interpreted his interview negatively and expressed an intention to actively support justice against prejudice. Apologetically, The Departed actor stated to Variety:
“I have learned that eradicating prejudice requires active movement toward justice rather than finding passive comfort in imagining myself ‘one of the good guys’. And given that open hostility against the LGBTQ+ community is still not uncommon, I understand why my statement led many to assume the worst. To be as clear as I can be, I stand with the LGBTQ+ community.”
Interestingly, Damon’s explanation did not address why the Good Will Hunting actor was previously quoted as saying he had retired the use of the word. Despite his previous apologies and his recognizing the need to “shut the f– up more,” it appears the Air actor hasn’t fully heeded his own advice.
Source: Variety
