Matt Damon opened up about sexual harassment in Hollywood and spoke candidly about Harvey Weinstein’s reputation in the industry.
“A lot of people said, ‘Well, Harvey [Weinstein] — everybody knew.’ As you were saying, that’s not true,” the Downsizing actor, 47, told Peter Travers during an interview with ABC News on Thursday, December 14. “Everyday knew what kind of guy he was in the sense that, if you took a meeting with him, you knew that he was tough and he was a bully and that was his reputation. And he enjoyed that reputation because he was making the best movies out there.”
Damon, who worked with the former studio exec, 65, on the award-winning film Good Will Hunting, also addressed the sexual misconduct claims that north of 60 women have made against Weinstein. “Nobody who made movies for him knew [about the allegations],” the Oscar winner continued. “Any human being would have put a stop to that, no matter who he was. They would’ve said, ‘Absolutely no.’”
The Martian actor added: “I knew I wouldn’t want him married to anyone close to me. But that was the extent of what we knew, you know? And that wasn’t a surprise to anybody. So when you hear, ‘Harvey this, Harvey that,’ I mean, look at the guy. Of course he’s a womanizer. I mean, I don’t hang out with him.”
Damon also commented on claims made against Louis C.K. and commended the 50-year-old comedian for admitting to his wrongdoing. “The Louis C.K. thing, I don’t know all the details,” Damon said. “I don’t do deep dives on this, but I did see his statement, which [was] kind of arresting to me. When he came out and said, ‘I did this. I did these things. These women are all telling the truth.’ And I just remember thinking, ‘Well, that’s the sign of somebody who — well, we can work with that.’ Like when I’m raising my kids, this constant personal responsibility is as important as anything else they learn before they go off in the world.
“I don’t know Louis C.K. I’ve never met him,” the Bourne Identity actor clarified. “I’m a fan of this, but I don’t imagine he’s going to do those things again. I imagine the price that he’s paid at this point is so beyond anything … I just think that we have to start delineating between what these behaviors are.”
Damon, who shares four daughters with wife Luciana, also expressed his support for the women who have spoken out against their alleged abusers. “I think that it’s important … we believe every woman who’s coming forward with one of these stories needs to be listened to and heard,” he said. “I think one of the surprising things for me has been the extent to which my female friends … I can’t think of any of them who don’t have a story at some point int heir life. And most have more than one.”
As previously reported, Weinstein came under fire in October after The New York Times published an exposé detailing more than 30 years of misconduct claims against him, all of which he has since denied. The NYT came out with a report against C.K. the following month including the accounts of five accusers. In a statement to Us Weekly, C.K. revealed that “these stories are true.”
