In an interview for ABC News' Popcorn With Peter Travers set to air in full on December 27 on ABCNews.com, Matt Damon dispelled the popular notion that Harvey Weinstein's alleged behaviour, first detailed in The New York Times, was an "open secret" in Hollywood. Damon, who has repeatedly been tangled in the Weinstein aftermath following an allegation in The Wrap that he tried to kill a previous story on the producer, worked on Good Will Hunting with Weinstein's company Miramax back in 1997. However, he says the reputation the mogul had acquired was not one of sexual misconduct.
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"Everybody 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..." he explained.
Damon continued, saying that had anyone actually known the scope of what Weinstein has been accused of, they would have intervened.
"Any human being would have put a stop to that, no matter who he was," Damon said. "They would’ve said absolutely no. You know what I mean? … I knew I wouldn’t want him married to anyone close to me. But that was the extent of what we knew, you know?"
The women who have come forward would disagree.
That being said, Damon has been adamant that he supports the women coming forward, and has denied all reports that he tried to squash a 2004 story in the New York Times. Jessica Chastain also came to Damon's defense in The Standard, saying that the actor was also "manipulated by Weinstein."
While so much has been unearthed these past few months, change starts with these conversations. Now we've grappled with the scope of the problem in the industry, both men and women can take the necessary steps towards fixing the culture so it never returns to one of secrecy again.
If you have experienced sexual violence of any kind, please visit Rape Crisis or call 0808 802 9999.
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