I put some photos from the Downsizing premiere in yesterday’s links. Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Christoph Waltz and many of the stars of the film came out for the premiere. The star of the film did not walk the carpet or attend the premiere in any way. That star? Matt Damon. Matt Damon’s promotion of Downsizing has been an epic disaster, frankly. At first, I thought the studio was hiding him away, given the rash of bad headlines a few months ago, when Matt kept saying stupid sh-t when he was promoting Suburbicon. Then they let Matt off the leash last week and it went downhill in a hurry, with Matt giving a series of tone-deaf, mansplaining, #brolivesmatter-y interviews about sexual harassment, abuse and the #MeToo movement. So why didn’t King Bro, Emperor Mansplainer, Master Adjudicator Matty D attend the premiere of his big movie?
Matt Damon didn’t make it to the premiere of his new movie Downsizing on Monday night at the Regency Village Theatre in L.A. While many at the screening assumed that he was avoiding the spotlight after coming under fire for remarks he recently made about sexual harassment and abuse in Hollywood, a rep for Paramount Pictures said the Oscar winner was out of town “dealing with an ongoing family matter.” Sources added that Damon’s father has been ill.
Damon’s co-stars in the Alexander Payne-directed sci-fi social satire weighed in on the controversy, but were careful in choosing their words.
“It’s a delicate thing for everyone to talk about and I feel like we’re all learning,” Kristen Wiig told The Hollywood Reporter. “I have friends who have just told me stories of things that happened to them that I had no idea about it. It’s just been a heartbreaking thing for everybody.”
“You know, this is not something that plays out well in soundbites,” James Van Der Beek told THR. “I think Matt was trying to do some good and ask some questions that we’re all going to have to answer pretty soon. I don’t have the answers. We’re all figuring it out.”
Laura Dern explained she hadn’t read Damon’s remarks yet because she’s been on a whirlwind press tour promoting Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but said, “We’ve got to all figure out a way to work together” and not “bully [each other] on social media.”
It could be that Matt truly had a family emergency. It could be that he’s going through a rough time in her personal life because of his father’s illness, and it could be that his personal issues are why he hasn’t given enough thought to his mansplaining opinions in the past few weeks. Or it could be that Matt’s publicist finally sat him down and was like “Jesus H., dude, shut up. Go dark, don’t say anything else.”
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
Cause everyone hates Matt Damon
Pretty much…
His family matter is surely important but maybe not so urgent to miss a few hours. Unless his father is at terminal stage but at that point he shouldn’t have given any of those half-assed interviews he gave.
His family is important but I doubt that’s why he skipped. He’s been promoting this movie hard so to skip one of the first big premieres is odd
Matt Damon doesn’t seem to understand that we’re not talking about the men in Hollywood that aren’t predators because we aren’t going to laud the men who are acting the way they should. It’s not an accomplishment to act in a decent fashion – it’s what is expected.
Matt wants round of applause for every single man who didn’t abuse or rape anyone. Matt gets it. Matt’s the man.
When you make a massive fool of yourself publicly, often the response is to hide.
Bye Matt.
He cancelled going to the Bafta Awards and other appearances not long ago because of his dad’s illness. I think he has cancer and was in remission, and now it’s back and he’s not doing well. Matt talked about it. I tend to believe it is the reason he wasn’t at the premiere.
I think if he’d wanted to attend the premier, he would have. Vanessa Hudgens performed in Grease Live the day her father died, plenty of stars show up to big events like this even in the midst of family crises. I’m not saying his father isn’t ill, but my bet is that it gave Damon a plausible out on this occasion and the studio/producers were happy to let him stay away.
This!
YEh Matt is a not ready liked around here and for good reason but I find your comment really unnecessarily harsh. WE don’t know if he didn’t show to avoid the press or if his DAD Is sick or not and if sick how severe it is but not everyone wants to stay away from thier loved ones bedside esspecially if things are really bad so the whole ” if he wanted to be here he could because so and so did when thier dad died ” is kinda callous and no one else’s decision to make except his
Darn see what you made me do the unthinkable come to the defense of Matt Damon …horrors
Matt definitely needs to take a step back to reevaluate the stupid things he has said lately, but I don’t see him using his father’s illness to avoid being seen. VH performing the day her dad passed isn’t really the same. I think she’s amazing for doing it because obviously the loss was still raw, but her father was gone and there was nothing more that could be done, he was at peace. We don’t know how ill Matt’s father is, so perhaps he wants to be there if there isn’t much time left. I could be totally wrong and he really is that heartless, but right now I’m still willing to give him the benefit of the doubt (on this).
Because he’s an arsehole?
And a coward?
I just found out the guy that directed this film (Downsizing) is Alexander Payne, the same guy that directed Descendents w/George Clooney back in 2011….. ANNNNNNND:
Alexander Payne’s signature is on the Polanski petition.
Yeah he remains an idiot but that explanation makes more sense. There are limits to what you can skip contractually obligated PR for. Major family illness would be a reason. Being an idiot in the press? Not so much. They would have just limited his red carpet interviews.
I wish he and his family well with this crisis…and he’s still an idiot.
Yeah Van Der Beek is right. Misogyny doesn’t come off well in sound bites. It’s so hard being the voice of the #brolivesmatter movement.
His answer was very much like Greta Gerwig’s on Fresh Air. Although I tend to think he was sincere since he really was just making remarks in passing, while Gerwig had the time and platform to give a more lengthy take. Grr.
I passed hard on Greta (and Noah Baumbach) when I found out that Jennifer Jason Leigh co-wrote Greenberg, Baumbach’s film, with him. Greta Gerwig’s breakout role was in Greenberg. During fiming, Gerwig and Baumbach had an affair – while Jennifer Jason Leigh was pregnant. By the time the film wrapped, Gerwig/Baumbach were together and Jennifer Jason Leigh was due to give birth and dumped. Reminds me a loooot of Claire Danes/Billy Crudup & that lady from Weeds (I forget her name). Though Claire Danes (not excusing the behavior, but) was like 21 or 22…Gerwig was 29…..
Imagine writing, with your husband, the role of the woman that eventually your husband will leave you for while you’re almost gonna give birth.
shady shady shady. takes two to tango, of course – both Baumbach & Gerwig cancelled for me.
His father is ill and has been hospitalized recently and Matt has been reported to have been back here visiting him and his brother.
Can believe that, but he should have rejected all those interviews too, not the best idea to have such backlash whilst dealing with something so serious as his father’s illness.
There was a time when he was viewed as an intelligent guy and people seemed to value his opinion, and I think that went to his head a bit. Social media has changed the game though and I don’t think he’s figured it out. George Clooney is also in that camp. They still operate on an old-school level. Like you say something stupid and People magazine will fix it all, but that doesn’t work anymore.
I’d say Clooney has figured it out all right. He keeps his shit locked down way more tight than ol’ Not All Men Damon.
I agree.
Agreed
Clooney was decent on the Suburbicon press tour, Matt Damon just kept f***ing it up. I think people in George Clooney’s life at least occasionally tell him no. Matt doesn’t seem to have anyone around him telling him to take his head out of his ass. Or he’s just too self-righteous to listen.
For sure! I do believe Clooney has a good brain and occasionally actually puts thought into commentary on social issues he connects with.
I hope his father is ok.
Funny/sarcastic article about Matt and his mansplaining which made me laugh this morning:
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/matt-damon-sexual-harassment-hollywood-harvey-weinstein-ben-affleck-women-actors-a8118501.html
“Because Matt Damon is very concerned that, in this #metoo movement, we’re not spending enough time thinking about all the sexual violence he’s not committing. To every man who’s made it through another 24 hours without pressing his erection where it’s not wanted, a grateful lady nation gives thanks. It’s time we put our focus where it really belongs: on the people who won’t be affected.”
Snigger!
Ha. Give the guy a medal, right?
She makes a good point at the end though – all those women (the ones who said no AND the ones who didn’t) who got sidelined and all those men, like Damon, who might have kept their flies zipped but that’s about it, got a free pass to wonderful careers, sans competition from talented women.
Great article, Sixer. It’s a great deal easier to score goals when the other team is largely kneecapped.
Indeed. It’s really disheartening. Reading about Mira Sorvino yesterday really brought the sabotage home to me anew.
That’s exactly it, isn’t it? Women are kneecapped. Every move is proscribed due to risk assessment – whether the risk assessment is successful but it’s made you miss an opportunity, or unsuccessful because you got assaulted.
But Matt sails through regardless. No risk assessment necessary.
(I think what people were saying yesterday is correct: he is busy positioning himself for when this is all over.)
That picture is distracting me. Who bottle-tans their face and not their hands? It just looks weird…
I really don’t understand the whole bottle tanning thing. It never looks good.
I think his father is seriously ill. He has cancer and it sounds like it may be in it’s final stage. He and family were with him in Boston over the Thanksgiving holiday. Damon had mentioned it in an interview so it could have something to do with that.
Because he’s a big, stupid, sexist assh*ole who can’t keep his mouth shut and may have tanked his own movie because of it?
I hope his father is ok but it is also true to say that we all can be greateful for another day without Matt’s thoughts on sexual assault.
Remember he said that nice thing about teachers that one time? Those were the days
LOL I love you
Maybe this “family matter” means that his four daughters have finally realized how big of a jerk their father is and they all have decided to disown him.
the moment his daughters start using the internet…they’ll know what their father really is like.
thats kind of the delight of celebrities raising kids in the digital age. I dont doubt Kate Winslet’s daughter thinks her mom is full of sh!t lol. the celebrity kids can always google and see all the dirt on their parents – and the celebrity parents can’t control it. I love how the powerful are threatened by the internet because they can’t buy it off! 😀
He didn’t show up because there is no fashionable way to wear a bag of ice on his hurt
FEEWINGS poor little Matty.
Ahahaha, thanks marc!
It’s weird when the Team America Matt Damon is the smart one.
You know why he skipped it. His dad is conveniently sick when he has made an ass of himself and needs to dodge the tough questions. When he skipped that BAFTA event back in October, he used his father as an excuse then too, but was pap’d out to dinner with Hemsworth the following night. He’s a liar.
I’m dying with your nicknames for him, Emperor Mansplainer and Master Adjudicator made me laugh out loud. I hate him so much, hope he goes away.
I’m also REALLY ticked off that his costars are all basically covering for him, I wish all of them ewre like – Matt said a load of crap, I hope he takes this time to educate himself.
Because they figured out the prime demographics for this movie are women and woke hipsters, and they’re calling it on Matt Damon alienating them?
Just picturing his earlier conversation with his manager / the movie’s publicist. I bet one or more of them are women.
Lady professional: “Here, Matt, please read these notes on how to address the #metoo reckoning.”
Matt: “Excuse me, miss, I’m a wordsmith. (points to Oscar) I got this. Hold my beer.” (heads off to Peter Travers interview)
Hahahahahahahaha!
Kent Damon died last week. We all handle grief in our own way.
We all have to deal with whatever funeral arrangements our loved ones make. We all have to deal with end of life issues for our deceased love ones like getting death certificates and delivering them to the necessary places. I stayed out of work for two weeks when my dad died. I know I wouldn’t have wanted to attend a movie premiere.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/12/23/matt-damon-father-dies-age/1uTaOyDq5Bp7vLHPRncU7O/story.html