Showbiz

Damon: 'I would never spank my children'

Published Thursday, Dec 16 2010, 14:30 GMT | By Tom Ayres

Luciana Barroso and Matt Damon at the The American Cinematheque 24th Annual Awards. Los Angeles, California.

Matt Damon claims that he would never hit his children to discipline them, despite the behaviour of his character in the new Coen Brothers film True Grit.

In the film, Damon's character shockingly hits fourteen-year-old Hailee Steinfeld with a wooden reed in a particularly violent scene.

However Damon admits that he doesn't approve of any form of corporal punishment when raising children.

"I definitely don't spank 'em," Damon told People when asked how he disciplines his three daughters.

"It's a scene in the movie that needs to be there for a whole host of reasons," Damon said of the controversial scene. "They just put a big pad on Hailee and we practiced. She said, 'I can't even feel it'."

Damon plays Texas Ranger La Boeuf in the film opposite the likes of Josh Brolin and Jeff Bridges.

True Grit will be released in US cinemas on December 22, 2010 and UK cinemas on January 14, 2011.