Matt Damon has received criticism following his recent revelation that he didn’t see an issue with using a homophobic slur up until “months ago”.
The 50-year-old star told The Sunday Times he used “the f-slur” while “at the table” with his family, prompting one of his daughters to tell him off.
“The word that my daughter calls the ‘f-slur for a homosexual’ was commonly used when I was kid, with a different application,” he told the publication.
“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!’,” he added, referencing his role as a conjoined twin with Greg Kinnear in the 2003 film.
“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.”
The Jason Bourne actor shared the personal story unprompted, but has been met with backlash online from many who say they have “lost respect” for him.
“The fact that Matt Damon’s daughter had to explain to him that saying a slur is wrong is insane,” one person tweeted.
The chief TV critic for the Hollywood Reporter wrote in a tweet: “As a member of the press, I like when celebrities talk to the press, but it’s always illuminating to hear the stories that folks like Liam Neeson or Matt Damon think are humanizing and charming, but actually reveal insulation and isolation (among other unsavory stuff) instead.”
The interview was part of a feature story about the changing face of masculinity and the #MeToo movement which started in 2017.
When allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein were first emerging,” Damon said: “As the father of four daughters, this is the kind of sexual predation that keeps me up at night.”
The comment also drew criticism, with many pointing out he should be angered about the issue for more reasons than just his role as a father.
In his recent interview with The Times, he said he understands the anger and that “anybody should be offended by that behaviour”.
“Twenty years ago, the best way I can put it is that the journalist listened to the music more than the lyrics [of an interview]. Now your lyrics are getting parsed, to pull them out of context and get the best headline possible,” he said.
“Everyone needs clicks. Before it didn’t really matter what I said, because it didn’t make the news. But maybe this shift is a good thing. So I shut the f**k up more.”
This article first appeared on Over60.