Matt Damon’s cameo in Ocean’s 8 has been cut from the final version of the movie – a decision which followed protests against his presence in the film late last year following comments he made about sexual harassment and misconduct in the film industry. Damon’s small role in the newly-released movie, which stars the likes of Sandra Bullock, Rihanna and Mindy Kaling, was put under scrutiny back in December after his comments about the #MeToo movement sparked a backlash. “We’re in this watershed moment, and it’s great. But I think one thing that’s not being talked about is there are a whole shitload of guys – the preponderance of men I’ve worked with – who don’t do this kind of thing and whose lives aren’t going to be affected,” Damon said in an interview with Business Insider. Advertisement Those comments sparked a deluge of protests online, including a petition which demanded Damon’s removal from Ocean’s 8 – a campaign which attracted over 28,000 signatures. With Ocean’s 8 now out in the US – it’ll be released in the UK on June 22 – it has been confirmed that Damon’s presence in the film as his regular Ocean’s character Linus Caldwell has been cut from the final version of the movie. The makers of Ocean’s 8 have yet to comment, however, on whether their decision to can Damon’s cameo was inspired by both his comments and the subsequent backlash they received. Damon later apologised for the comments he made, saying that he “wished I’d listened a lot more” before “weighing in” on the topic of sexual harassment and misconduct in Hollywood.<doc-sep>“Ocean’s 8,” the reboot of the “Ocean’s 11” franchise which premiered over the weekend, is notable for a number of things: Its glorious all-female cast, its fashionable Met Gala heist location, its stellar box office and its celebrity cameos, including appearances by members of the original “Ocean’s” heist team. But one notable original cast member was left out of the film: Matt Damon. Back in February, the 47-year-old actor announced that he would reprise his role as Linus Caldwell from the original films, according to Collider. But you won’t see the A-lister’s face in the movie, unlike a couple of other Danny Ocean team members. That’s because Damon’s scenes were cut from the film, the Hollywood Reporter said. Yes, the scenes with the Academy Award-winning star of “The Martian” and the hit Bourne movies were left on the cutting room floor. “Ocean’s 8” stars Sandra Bullock as con artist Debbie Ocean, sister of George Clooney’s Danny Ocean, who, it’s revealed early in the film, recently died. The Hollywood Reporter said that Carl Reiner’s return as the cantankerous Saul Bloom also was cut from the final edit. But Damon’s omission stands out because news of his cameo in the film was met with protests over his controversial, “tone-deaf” comments about the #MeToo movement and his longtime professional association with Harvey Weinstein. A petition that garnered more than 28,000 signatures called for Damon’s removal from a film that was supposed to be, the petition wording said, “empowering” for women by spotlighting the talents of a “tremendous female cast” and the “savvy and prowess” of its female characters. According to the petition, titled “Sexual Harassment Isn’t a Joke,” Damon “not only ignored but enabled his friend Harvey Weinstein’s inappropriate behavior.” The petition repeated an allegation that Damon tried to help kill a 2004 New York Times report that detailed instances where Weinstein used his power as a studio executive to allegedly harass and even assault women. The petition also noted interviews Damon gave in the fall, following reports about Weinstein’s alleged sexual harassment and assault of multiple actresses. During the interviews, Damon admitted he knew the producer had harassed Gwyneth Paltrow, opined loosely about the “spectrum of behavior” when it comes to sexual misconduct, offered sympathy to Louis C.K. and Al Franken, and said it’s unfortunate that America’s reckoning over sexual misconduct isn’t giving credit to all the men who haven’t harassed or assaulted women. Following social media backlash against Damon, he avoided giving interviews for a while, but finally re-emerged in January. During an appearance on the “Today” show, Matt Damon apologized for making what many regarded as ill-informed comments. “I really wish I’d listened a lot more before I weighed in on this,” he told Kathie Lee Gifford. “I don’t want to further anybody’s pain with anything that I do or say. So for that, I am really sorry.” Warner Brothers never acknowledged the petition or the controversy, and director Gary Ross denied that either had anything to do with Damon’s omission from the final cut. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Ross spoke generally about the selection of cameos and said they were only used to further the story. “(Picking the cameos) is an eclectic process of: How does it fit in the story and how is the narrative unfolding?” Ross told The Hollywood Reporter. “This, more than any movie I’ve done, had a really copious editorial process where you play with stuff, you find stuff. I’ve never shot anything after I’ve wrapped on any other movie before, but in a heist movie and an ensemble movie, you’re still working on the play. And we did a bunch of that, and so that was satisfying as well.” In addressing the Damon cameo more directly, Ross told the Hollywood Reporter: “There were a lot of people who were gracious to us that just for editorial and storytelling reasons didn’t make it in and some who did. If you know, we ended up shooting probably another 10 days afterwards, so there’s a lot of material and a lot of shaping. But it really just comes to storytelling.” There’s no indication of whether Damon will return for an “Ocean’s 8” sequel, which appears likely to happen, given how the film raked in $41.5 at the domestic box office in its debut weekend, outpacing all three previous “Ocean’s” movies, which starred Damon, Clooney and Brad Pitt. Spoiler alert: The film also ends with Bullock and her gang looking ready to take on their next big score. “Ocean’s 8” also stars Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter, Awkwafina and Rihanna.<doc-sep>Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) If fans were excited to see Matt Damon‘s cameo in “Ocean’s 8,” they’ll be very disappointed. The all-female heist movie was released on Friday, but viewers will note that Damon’s cameo landed a spot on the cutting room floor instead of on the big screen. “[Picking the cameos] is an eclectic process of: How does it fit in the story and how is the narrative unfolding?” “Ocean’s 8” director Gary Ross told The Hollywood Reporter. “This more than any movie I’ve done had a really copious editorial process where you play with stuff, you find stuff. I’ve never shot anything after I’ve wrapped on any other movie before, but in a heist movie and an ensemble movie, you’re still working on the play …” Carl Reiner’s appearance as Saul didn’t make the final cut either. “There were a lot of people who were gracious to us that just for editorial and storytelling reasons didn’t make it in and some who did,” Ross said of Damon’s absence. “If you know, we ended up shooting probably another 10 days afterwards, so there’s a lot of material and a lot of shaping. But it really just comes to storytelling.” Damon’s absence comes after fans of the franchise launched a petition to have Damon’s cameo cut from the film after he made controversial comments about the #MeToo movement and Harvey Weinstein. “I do believe that there is a spectrum of behavior … there’s a difference between patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation,” Damon told ABC News in the fall. “Both of those behaviors need to be confronted and eradicated, without question, but they shouldn’t be conflated.” The petition received 28,848 signatures out of a goal of 30,000. It appears those signers got their wish.<doc-sep>
While Ocean’s 8 features several cameos from previous actors in the series’ history, one particular actor’s cameo was cut from making an appearance While Ocean’s 8 features several cameos from previous actors in the series’ history, but not everyone made the cut. The film’s director, Gary Ross, explained why veteran Ocean’s actor, Matt Damon, wasn’t featured in the film despite cameos from other actors who starred in previous Ocean’s films being part of the new movie. “[Picking the cameos] is an eclectic process of how does it fit in the story and how is the narrative unfolding? This, more than any movie I’ve done, had a really copious editorial process where you play with stuff, you find stuff,” Ross said. “I’ve never shot anything after I’ve wrapped on any other movie before, but in a heist movie and an ensemble movie, you’re still working on the play,” he continued. “And we did a bunch of that, and so that was satisfying as well.” "Ocean's 8" World Premiere The cast of Ocean’s 8. | Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Fans of the film began a petition to remove Damon from the film after he made controversial comments on Hollywood’s sexual harassment scandal last year. At the time of publication, the petition had over 28,000 signatures. Citing Damon’s alleged involvement in an attempt to kill a 2004 story about Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual misconduct, the petition claims the actor’s inclusion in Ocean’s 8 would “trivialize the serious nature” of the allegations. “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,” read the petition. Watch the full season of Search History on PeopleTV.com or download the PeopleTV app on your favorite device. Matt Damon Matt Damon | Credit: Matt Sayles/Invision/AP A spokesperson for Weinstein previously told PEOPLE in a statement that “any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.” Amid the mounting revelations of sexual harassment or abuse against Weinstein, The Wrap founder Sharon Waxman previously claimed Damon and Russell Crowe meddled in a 2004 story she was writing for the New York Times about behavior by Weinstein and the then-head of Miramax Italy, Fabrizio Lombardo. Waxman claimed Damon and Crowe called her “directly” to vouch for Lombardo. Her story was ultimately killed by the NYT. Damon confirmed the call with Waxman to Deadline, but said Weinstein only told him that Waxman was writing a negative story about Lombardo and asked him to vouch for Lombardo professionally. RELATED VIDEO: Matt Damon: Al Franken and Harvey Weinstein ‘Don’t Belong in the Same Category’ Of Damon’s willingness to appear in the film, Ross told THR, “There were a lot of people who were gracious to us that just for editorial and storytelling reasons didn’t make it in and some who did.” Want to keep up with the latest from PEOPLE? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get our best stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox. “If you know, we ended up shooting probably another 10 days afterward, so there’s a lot of material and a lot of shaping,” he added. “But it really just comes to storytelling.” Ocean’s 8 stars Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina and Sarah Paulson among many others.