Matt Damon clarifies his ‘gay’ comment

Matt Damon (left), who is facing a backlash over his comments about sexuality in Hollywood, wants the world to know that he does not think gay actors should stay in the closet.

During a pretaped appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Damon said the comments he made about gay actors in a recent interview have been taken out of context. “I was just trying to say actors are more effective when they're a mystery, right?” the Martian actor said. “And somebody picked it up and said I said gay actors should get back in the closet. Which is like, I mean it’s stupid, but it is painful when things get said that you don’t believe. You know what I mean? And then it gets represented that that’s what you believe,” he said. Damon also recalled how earlier in his career, he and his Good Will Hunting cowriter and co-star Ben Affleck dealt with rumours that they were gay. He added that in today’s media landscape, “There's no real penalty for just taking the ball and running with it. You know what I mean? You’re just trying to click on your thing.”