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When Matt Damon hit it big 10 years ago, not many people foresaw him ever becoming a huge action star. And apparently he’s still not so sure about it himself. According to MTV’s Multiplayer blog, Damon refused to participate in the upcoming video game The Bourne Conspiracy because it’s too violent.
Wait. What?
Damon was in negotiations to lend his voice and likeness when development was getting off the ground, but he took issue with the game’s level of violence and pulled out…
Damon’s decision could be linked to feelings shared by his mother, [Nancy] Carlsson-Paige. Earlier this month, Paige participated in an online chat with newspaper The Boston Globe, where she shared strong feelings about violent games. “I am very wary of violent video games,” she said. “Research shows they desensitize kids to violence, even more because they engage kids in committing violence.”
When asked if she approves of her son’s violent films, she admitted they always agree on media issues. [I'm pretty sure this is supposed to say "they don't always agree."--SS] “Matt and I don’t share the same views about violence in adult films, but we do see eye-to-eye on the importance of protecting children,” she said. “We both support regulations to stop the marketing of violence in films to children through violent toys, products, and video games.”
So the movie star who’s made millions by pretending to beat up and kill people doesn’t think anybody else should be making a living from depictions of him beating up and killing people. Got it.
“Well, the Bourne movies are Rated R PG-13!” Which doesn’t keep kids from seeing them if they really want to, any more than the T–Teen rating is going to stop them from playing this video game. And that’s assuming the whole claim about video games causing violence is correct, which makes you wonder what caused violence during the 99% of human history before video games were invented.
Matt’s mommy is still trying to get on her high horse after he’s already ridden it all the way to the bank.
(Hat tip: Kotaku via Deceiver reader Aspen)
I have never seen a “Bourne” movie. I’m completely indifferent to Matt Damon. Are they comedies? That Team America dummy is less wooden than him anyway.
Now thats funny. I love Matt as an actor, but he has to see how ridculous that sounds. You can’t have it both ways.
What dummy?
The one in the pic… oh I get it.
I just wanted to make a comment about Matt Damon’s mom. She is actually a recognized expert in the early childhood field, and she has tremendous success on her own– expecially in the Boston area. She’s not on a high horse– this echoes her lifelong work. She isn’t riding his celebrity– she’s been a respected professor and author way before her son became famous.
I do agree that this post makes Matt look like a hypocrite.
So many judges! I don’t see Damon as a hypocrite. I’ve enjoyed the Bourne films, and I don’t see the violence as gratuitous. The main character is constantly drawn into violence in order to survive and as part of his quest. Refusing to lend his voice to the video games is a choice he gets to make. If it is out of respect for his mother that’s fine. Really it’s no one’s business whether or not he does the voice but his.
We expect our “stars” to be perfect and totally in alignment with their spoken values. How many of you are perfect? The only difference between Matt and you is that he’s in the public eye. I say live and let live.
How dare you judge my judgment. Harumph!
By the way, the BOURNE movies are rated PG-13, so any kid can walk in.
Watching a movie with some action violence is much different than kids *playing* out the violence over and over in a game. When kids play games, they become part of the violence. I dont see this as hypocritical at all. And I dont think alot of kids watch the Bourne movies…. if he DID do a game it would get more kids watching them, and thus make him more money. Sounds like a good guy to me actually….
PG-13 movie, T rated video game, but the video game is interactive and therefore more evil! I’m not complaining, the video game was probably going to suck anyway, the last one based off a movie franchise to not suck was Goldeneye for N64 I think so hopefully that will kill the whole project and the video game industry can focus on releasing another first person shooter or GTA-clone.