Theres a petition to get Matt Damons cameo edited out of Oceans Eight
It was bad luck for everybody involved that the Ocean’s Eight trailer came out in the same week that everybody came to the late realization that Matt Damon is an absolute jackass. Matty D has given a series of absolutely terrible interviews in which he criticized the victims of sexual abuse and harassment, mansplained the levels of harassment and dictated how upset people should be for each level, and cast himself as one of the few enlightened souls who could properly adjudicate which sexual predators can keep their careers. This week of sh-tty press came months after Matt completely mishandled the questions specific to Harvey Weinstein, and it came a few years after he was a racist douche to Effie Brown.
So, basically, Matt Damon is canceled. Or he should be canceled, far and wide. The problem is that he has some kind of cameo in Ocean’s Eight. Plot details are closely guarded, but we know that Matt is one of the few “original Ocean’s cast members” to have a cameo in the all-girls movie. Now there’s a petition to get him edited out of the film! I don’t think people are asking for Christopher Plummer to be cast in Matt’s role or anything, they just want Matt edited out completely, which could be easy enough to do if he only has a cameo. You can see (and sign) the petition here. Thousands of people have signed the petition so far, and here’s why:
The all-female reboot of Oceans 8 was supposed to be an empowering film for women. The movie spotlight the talents of its tremendous female cast and showcase the savvy and prowess of its characters. But that was before allegations that Matt Damon — who has a well-publicized cameo in Oceans 8 — not only ignored but enabled his friend Harvey Weinstein’s inappropriate behavior by trying to squash a New York Times report in 2004 that detailed instances where Weinstein had used his position as a high-powered studio executive to harass and even assault women.
Damon also recently gave an interview where said he’d still work people who had been accused of sexual misconduct, on a “case-by-case” basis. This behavior is beyond enabling — it’s just gross. Matt Damon should not be in this movie.
Damon’s inclusion would trivialize the serious nature of the charges against sexual abusers like Weinstein — a show massive disrespect for the brave women speaking out. It would also send a terrible message about the inevitability of — and lack of accountability for — sexual harassment in the workplace that four in ten American women experience.
I’m calling on Oceans 8 producers George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh to toss Damon’s Oceans 8 cameo where it belongs: on the cutting room floor. Will you join me?
You know who I miss now? The late, great Bernie Mac. Bernie would have been great for a cameo. They can’t get Casey Affleck because… yeah, well, he’s even worse than Matt. Scott Caan is kind of useless. Brad Pitt…? I could see why Brad wouldn’t do it. So the answer is quite simple: hire Don Cheadle for a cameo. His character was always so weird anyway, why not have him turn up in Ocean’s Eight?
Also: the Daily Beast had a good piece about why Matt is Hollywood’s Large Adult Son. Matt Damon is the Dreaded Laramie of Hollywood, basically.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Warner Bros.
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