Matt Damon Admits He Knew Harvey Weinstein Sexually Harassed Gwyneth Paltrow
Matt Damon revealed during a wide-ranging “Good Morning America” interview that he learned that Harvey Weinstein had sexually harassed Gwyneth Paltrow from her boyfriend at the time, Ben Affleck.
The actor weighed in on the mounting allegations of sexual assault and harassment against the disgraced Hollywood producer on the morning show Monday alongside George Clooney.
Damon, who distanced himself from Weinstein earlier this month, said he had heard about the disturbing encounter around the time he and Paltrow were filming 1999′s “The Talented Mr. Ripley.”
“I knew the story about Gwyneth [Paltrow] from Ben [Affleck], because he was with her after Brad [Pitt], so I knew that story,” Damon said. “But I was working with Gwyneth with Harvey on ‘Ripley.’ I never talked to Gwyneth about it. Ben told me.”
Newsletter: The Yodel
Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox
See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories.
“I knew that they had come to whatever agreement or understanding that they had come to,” the actor continued. “She had handled it and she was the first lady of Miramax. He treated her incredibly respectfully. Always.”
Paltrow is one of dozens of actresses who’ve come forward in recent weeks with stories of sexual misconduct involving Weinstein. The actress and entrepreneur accused him of making advances when she was 22 years old and set to star in the film “Emma,” allegedly “placing his hands on her” and suggesting she give him a massage in a private hotel room.
“He didn’t do it out in the open,” Damon told “GMA.” “If there was ever an event where there was something I was at with Harvey in public and he was doing this thing and I missed it, and there’s some woman who was somehow assaulted and was at the Golden Globes or something and I somehow missed it, then I’m sorry.”
Damon and Affleck have both come under fire for their close ties to Weinstein in the fallout of the scandal. Reports claimed that the “Bourne Ultimatum” actor killed an incriminating story about Weinstein back in 2004, while actress Rose McGowan, who accused the producer of rape, maintains that Affleck had prior knowledge about his behavior.
Damon has denied defending Weinstein in any capacity, while Affleck has yet to address the claims after apologizing for his own harassment scandal involving actress Hilarie Burton.
Apart from Paltrow’s experience, Damon said he never heard about Weinstein’s “darkness,” as the producer allegedly preyed on women in private. However, he concedes that he was more than aware of Weinstein’s infamous reputation.
“You had to spend about five minutes with him to know that he was a bully and he was intimidating. That was his legend. That whole kind of M.O,” Damon said. “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 this month, 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. I am not the story here,” he said. “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.”
Watch clips from the interview below.
Related...
These Are The Most Incendiary Accusations Against Harvey Weinstein
Ben Affleck Says He Is Sickened By Harvey Weinstein Allegations
These Are The Women Who Have Accused Harvey Weinstein
Also on HuffPost
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
Ashley Judd
She told the Times that she thought, “How do I get out of the room as fast as possible without alienating Harvey Weinstein?”
Gwyneth Paltrow
“I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified,” she said, noting that when Weinstein found out she told her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt, "I thought he was going to fire me."
Angelina Jolie
Kate Winslet
"I had hoped that these kind of stories were just made up rumours, maybe we have all been naïve," she said. "And it makes me so angry. There must be ‘no tolerance’ of this degrading, vile treatment of women in ANY workplace anywhere in the world.”
Meryl Streep
“The disgraceful news about Harvey Weinstein has appalled those of us whose work he championed, and those whose good and worthy causes he supported," she said in a statement.
Rose McGowan
After The Weinstein Company fired Harvey, the actress and director called on the rest of the studio's board to resign.
"They knew," she said in a tweet. "They funded. They advised. They covered up. They must be exposed. They must resign."
Ben Affleck
Actress Rose McGowan denounced Affleck for implying that he didn't know of the abuse before this week, saying that the pair had previously discussed Weinstein's treatment of her.
"You lie," she tweeted.
Lena Dunham
"Abuse, threats and coercion have been the norm for so many women trying to do business or make art," she wrote. "Mr. Weinstein may be the most powerful man in Hollywood to be revealed as a predator, but he’s certainly not the only one who has been allowed to run wild. His behavior, silently co-signed for decades by employees and collaborators, is a microcosm of what has been happening in Hollywood since always and of what workplace harassment looks like for women everywhere."
George Clooney
"A good bunch of people that I know would say, “Yeah, Harvey’s a dog” or “Harvey’s chasing girls,” but again, this is a very different kind of thing," the actor told the Daily Beast. "This is harassment on a very high level. And there’s an argument that everyone is complicit in it. I suppose the argument would be that it’s not just about Hollywood, but about all of us—that every time you see someone using their power and influence to take advantage of someone without power and influence and you don’t speak up, you’re complicit. And there’s no question about that."
Jennifer Lawrence
"I worked with Harvey five years ago, and I did not experience any form of harassment personally, nor did I know about any of these allegations. This kind of abuse is inexcusable and absolutely upsetting," Lawrence said in a statement. "My heart goes out to all of the women affected by these gross actions. And I want to thank them for their bravery to come forward."
Hillary Clinton
Clinton said that she "was shocked and appalled by the revelations about Harvey Weinstein. The behavior described by women coming forward cannot be tolerated. Their courage and the support of others is critical in helping to stop this kind of behavior."
Barack and Michelle Obama
"Michelle and I have been disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein," the Obamas said in a statement. "Any man who demeans and degrades women in such fashion needs to be condemned and held accountable, regardless of wealth or status. We should celebrate the courage of women who have come forward to tell these painful stories. And we all need to build a culture -- including by empowering our girls and teaching our boys decency and respect -- so we can make such behavior less prevalent in the future."
Judi Dench
"Whilst there is no doubt that Harvey Weinstein has helped and championed my film career for the past 20 years, I was completely unaware of these offenses which are, of course, horrifying and I offer my sympathy to those who have suffered, and whole-hearted support to those who have spoken out," she said in a statement.
Leonardo DiCaprio
"There is no excuse for sexual harrassment or sexual assault-- no matter who you are and no matter what profession," DiCarpio said in a Facebook Post. "I applaud the strength and courage of the women who came forward and made their voices heard."
Jessica Chastain
"I was warned from the beginning" about Weinstein, she said in a tweet. "The stories were everywhere. To deny that is to create an environment for it to happen again."
Julianne Moore
Colin Firth
“It must have been terrifying for these women to step up and call him out. And horrifying to be subjected to that kind of harassment. I applaud their courage."
Tamron Hall
Blake Lively
The actress said that she was unaware of the abuse but admitted that "it's devastating to hear."
"It's important that women are furious right now. It's important that there is an uprising. It's important that we don't stand for this and that we don't focus on one or two or three or four stories. It's important that we focus on humanity in general and say, 'This is unacceptable.'"
Julia Roberts
Ryan Gosling
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Solve the daily Crossword
