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Matt Damon knew Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed Gwyneth Paltrow all along
Matt Damon has admitted that he knew Harvey Weinstein had sexually harassed Gwyneth Paltrow.
In an interview on “Good Morning America,” Damon said that he heard about the incident from Paltrow’s then-boyfriend, Ben Affleck, around the time he and Paltrow were filming “The Talented Mr. Ripley.”
Paltrow is one of dozens of actresses who have come forward in recent weeks with stories of sexual misconduct involving Weinstein.
She has accused him of making advances on her when she was 22 and set to star in the film “Emma,” alleging that he “placed his hands on her” and suggested she give him a massage in a private hotel room.
Damon said that he never spoke to Paltrow about the incident, but heard about it from Affleck.
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“I knew that they had come to whatever agreement or understanding that they had come to,” Damon said.
“She had handled it and she was the first lady of Miramax. He treated her incredibly respectfully. Always.”
Damon and Affleck have both come under fire for their close ties to Weinstein in the aftermath of the scandal.
Reports have claimed that Damon killed an incriminating story about Weinstein back in 2004, while actress Rose McGowan, who has accused the producer of rape, maintains that Affleck had prior knowledge of his behavior.
Damon has denied defending Weinstein in any capacity. Affleck has yet to address the claims against him, but he has apologized for his own harassment scandal involving actress Hilarie Burton.
Damon said that he was aware of Weinstein’s infamous reputation as a bully and a womanizer, but he was not aware of the “darkness” in which the producer allegedly preyed on women.
“You had to spend about five minutes with him to know that he was a bully and he was intimidating,” Damon said.
“That was his legend. That whole kind of M.O. When people say ‘everybody knew,’ yeah, I knew. I knew he was an a**hole. He was proud of that. That’s how he carried himself. I knew he was a womanizer. I wouldn’t want to be married to the guy, but it’s not my business really, but this level of criminal sexual predation was not something I ever thought was going on.”
Damon broke his silence on Weinstein’s alleged behavior earlier, condemning the producer’s actions and expressing his support for the alleged victims.
“This would have been a difficult past couple of days even if my name hadn’t been dragged into it,” he said.
“I am not the story here. The story is these women and what happened to them. So if I’m experiencing this discomfort, it hardly bears mention. There are some real victims here and they are being incredibly brave. Hopefully, them going through this experience right now will help them heal. They are who we all should be thinking about.
