Matt Damon’s long, wearying, controversial journey to Mars: A timeline of The Martian’s press tour
Let’s pray it’s over.
Today is finally the day: the day The Martian hits theaters. It’s also the day that Matt Damon’s exhausting, seemingly endless, often untamed press tour for The Martian comes to an end. But before we bid it adieu forever, we must commemorate it as the serious docket of mayhem that it was.
We present to you a timeline of the many, many promotional appearances and press junkets Matt Damon participated in pertaining to The Martian, aka Matt Damon’s journey to Mars.
September 13: At the Toronto International Film Festival, Matt Damon boasts that Tom Brady is the best “No, he didn’t cheat, and he’s the greatest quarterback of all time,’’ Damon told The Boston Globe. This press tour starts strong.
September 13: Matt Damon spoke over a female producer of color on the topic of diversity Things took an immediate turn for the worse. “When we’re talking about diversity, you do it in the casting of the film, not in the casting of the show,’’ he interrupted producer Effie Brown to say on an episode of his HBO show Project Greenlight. Though this had little to do with The Martian, it certainly set a weird tone on the press tour, which was about to go into full swing.
September 16: Matt Damon issues an apology for his diversity comments on Project Greenlight “My comments were part of a much broader conversation about diversity in Hollywood and the fundamental nature of Project Greenlight which did not make the show,’’ his statement to BuzzFeed said. “I am sorry that they offended some people, but, at the very least, I am happy that they started a conversation about diversity in Hollywood.’’
September 25: Matt Damon revealed the tragic truth behind his man-pony This was an extremely pivotal moment in the press tour because it was, more or less, a dire moment of truth. On The Graham Norton Show, we learned that Matt Damon’s most remarkable man hairdo of the freakin’ year — his man-pony — was, indeed, a massive fabrication, created for a movie. Thank you, Hollywood, for deceiving us once more.
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September 27: Matt Damon comments on celebrities’ private lives in Hollywood Damon’s press tour takes another giant dive with this one. “I think it must be really hard for actors to be out publicly,’’ Damon told The Guardian. “But in terms of actors, I think you’re a better actor the less people know about you period.’’ Other sources interpreted this as Damon advising gay actors to hide their sexual orientation. Whatever he really meant, it wasn’t a great look for Matty.
September 28: Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel finally go to couples therapy After 10 years of faux-feuding, Damon and Kimmel resolve to help their “relationship’’ by going to a therapist in a super great sketch on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. In a ranking of all the Kimmel-Damon bits, though, it’s probably mediocre. Thus, we’ll rule this as a plateauing point in the timeline.
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September 29: Matt Damon clarifies his comments about sexuality he said to The Guardian “I was just trying to say that actors are more effective when they’re a mystery,’’ Damon told DeGeneres on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Lucky for Damon, his press tour featured junket after junket so he conveniently got to clear the air faster than most celebrities after a kerfuffle. Still, the whole situation couldn’t have helped press tour morale.
September 29: Matt Damon Whips and Nae Naes for charity Ah, but almost immediately, the direction of the press tour starts to shape up. This “performance’’ happens in the same appearance on Ellen, but Matt Damon Whip and Nae Nae-ing is so incredibly funny that it constitutes its own entry on this timeline. You’re welcome.
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September 29: Matt Damon acts out his major movie roles in 8 minutes Matt Damon is on a funny streak, and the press tour is looking up. This entire sketch on The Late Late Show with James Corden, in which Matt Damon races through a whole bunch of his own movies with James Corden’s help, is super impressive. Do watch.
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September 30: Matt Damon is more emotional about Bennifer 1.0 than Ben Affleck was Ah, but then Damon gets roped into more personal stuff. In a cover feature for The Hollywood Reporter, Matt Damon told the publication “there’s nobody more misunderstood’’ than his buddy Ben Affleck, and “it was painful to be his friend’’ when Affleck was dating Jennifer Lopez. Matt Damon feels all the feels, is super good at #friendship, etc.
October 1: Matt Damon told USA Today he really had to learn how to grow potatoes for his role in The Martian OK, Matt.
The many haircuts of Matt Damon:
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