When Reese Witherspoon was called out by PETA for carrying a (gorgeous) python handbag, Reese didn’t respond at all to their letter about the poor pythons suffering for fashion and instead just started using a different bag. In Reese’s case, she was able to ignore PETA but tacitly acknowledge them by putting the bag away, and PETA gloated about it a little. They’re an insufferable organization and Reese probably knows that it’s best not to directly address them. Well Matt Damon can’t say the same. PETA called him out for attending a bullfight in Mexico (photos are here and he looks like he’s having a great time), and then he personally called them and said that he doesn’t support bullfighting, that bullfighting is awful, and that he was just doing research or something.

We wrote to Matt Damon as soon as pictures of him at a Mexican bullfight surfaced—and within 24 hours, he personally telephoned PETA Vice President Lisa Lange to correct the false impression that he had given,” PETA’s Jane Dollinger tells RadarOnline.com.

“Matt said that he went to the bullfight believing that bullfights should be stopped but felt that he should see the cruelty for himself while he was in Mexico. He said that seeing with his own eyes what these tormented animals go through only reinforced an already strongly held belief that bullfights should be relegated to the history books.

“He also said that he was upset to think that his attendance was in any way construed to be an endorsement of such a barbaric activity.”

[From Radar]

This is the right stance to take on bullfighting, and I’ll give Matt Damon this – he probably called them instead of issuing a statement because he wanted to get the least publicity for this as possible. Knowing PETA, he had to realize that they would go public with this information about his shameless ass-kissery. I guess I don’t blame him. You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t where PETA is concerned. I’m surprised they don’t issue press releases whenever a celebrity is photographed eating a steak. You know they would do it if they could get away with it.

Matt Damon and his wife, Luciana, are shown at the Contagion premiere on 9/7 and at the Venice Film Festival on 9/3. Credit: Fame and WENN.com