Matt Damon has candidly discussed the "painful" backlash he received over some controversial comments he made about the #MeToo movement.
Back in December 2017, the Jason Bourne actor called for a "spectrum of behaviour" analysis in regards to sexual misconduct cases, noting that some are more serious than others. After the statements hit headlines, with Damon accused of being "tone-deaf" in his understanding of abuse, he issued a public apology.
Now, the father-of-four has reflected on the reaction and his own response.
"I mean, we all come into the world and we're a f**king hot mess, do you know what I mean? And we make mistakes. And even in doing our best we make terrible mistakes," he said in a chat with GQ magazine. "It was painful. It's hard to take punches for things...the person that they were saying, 'He's tone-deaf, and he's...' you know, I don't like that guy either. So it's hard to hear those things about yourself."
While Damon was tempted to continue tackling the topic, a friend convinced him to take some time out from Hollywood.
"She said, 'Don't respond. You'd be inclined to say, 'But I'm a good person....' Don't do that. Just be quiet for at least a month and just listen. Listen to the objections to what you said. Try to understand why you upset people.' And that's what I did," the 50-year-old recalled. "My friend's advice was great in the sense of not getting in a defensive crouch - because that was my inclination, and you can't hear anything in a defensive crouch - and as painful as it is, the only way forward is to really try to understand what you've done and really reflect on it."
