Matt Damon is firing back at a recent report that claims he said gay actors should stay in the closet.

In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, "The Martian" actor called it "painful" to later learn that after speaking to British newspaper The Guardian, his comments were twisted out of context to create sensational, gossipy Internet click bait.

"I was just trying to say actors are more effective when they’re a mystery. Right? And somebody picked it up and said I said gay actors should get back in the closet," he explained to DeGeneres. "I mean it’s stupid, but it is painful when things get said that you don’t believe. And then it gets represented that that’s what you believe. Because in the blogosphere there’s no real penalty for just taking the ball and running with it."

Damon said during the discussion with the newspaper he recalled how he and his longtime friend and costar Ben Affleck were the subject of gay rumors following the success of "Good Will Hunting" in 1997 and thought it was "weird" to address the gossip or distance himself from the gay community "like it’s some kind of a disease."

During the interview with The Guardian, Damon said at that time being openly gay in Hollywood could have ruined an actor's career. "I remember thinking and saying, Rupert Everett was openly gay and this guy – more handsome than anybody, a classically trained actor – it’s tough to make the argument that he didn’t take a hit for being out."

It seems Everett, whose star was on the rise during the late 1990s with hits like "My Best Friend's Wedding" and "The Next Best Thing" agrees. In a 2009 interview with British newspaper The Observer, the actor expressed regrets about coming out the closet. "Honestly, I would not advise any actor necessarily, if he was really thinking of his career, to come out," Everett said at the time.

Still, Damon believes even today disclosing one's sexuality should be approached with caution. “I think it must be really hard for actors to be out publicly,” he told The Guardian. “But in terms of actors, I think you’re a better actor the less people know about you period. And sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether you’re straight or gay, people shouldn’t know anything about your sexuality because that’s one of the mysteries that you should be able to play.”

Click here to watch the clip.