Matt Damon Criticized After Advising Gay Actors to Stay In the Closet

Another actor has landed in hot water for voicing out comments that seemed to come out of his mouth before he thoroughly thought it through. But did he?

In an interview with the Guardian, actor Matt Damon implied that actors are better off staying in the closet instead of coming out and labeling themselves as they are. Discussing his role in HBO's "Behind the Candelabra", he was asked directly whether or not it's harder for actors to be openly gay in the show business, to which he responded: "I'm sure. When Ben and I first came on the scene there were rumors that we were gay because it was two guys who wrote a script together."

He shared that the gossip "put us in a weird position of having to answer, you know what I mean? Which was then really deeply offensive. I don't want to, like (imply) it's some sort of disease - then it's like I'm throwing my friends under the bus."

Damon also said that he thinks it is better for actors to keep quiet about their sexuality despite the changing attitudes of people about gay marriage. He went on to say, "I think it must be really hard for actors to be out publicly. But in terms of actors, I think you're a better actor the fewer people know about you period. ..Whether you're straight or gay, people shouldn't know anything about your sexuality because that's one of the mysteries that you should be able to play."

After hearing his comments, USA Today noted that netizens pushed back at the actor's comments, noting that straight people never had to suffer going through being openly heterosexual, either.

However, it seems that Damon thought his words are taken out of context. He visited Ellen DeGeneres on her show Monday, and defended himself, saying that "I was just trying to say actors are more effective when they're a mystery, right? And somebody picked it up and said I said gay actors should get back in the closet. Which is like, I mean it's stupid, but it is painful when things get said that you don't believe. You know what I mean? And then it gets represented that that's what you believe."

So before you get angry, Damon did not say that actors should just go back to the closet --- all he's said is that it's better for actors (straight and otherwise) to keep their private lives from the media.

In this day and age, do you agree with him?