Why Was Matt Damon Absent From 2017 BAFTA Britannia Awards?

Matt Damon did not make it to the BAFTA Britannia Awards, and it has been revealed that it had to do with a “family emergency.”

During the event, Kate Mara also told the attendees that Damon had to return to his hometown in Boston “urgently.” The actress delivered a touching speech about the actor and also accepted the award on his behalf.

“Unfortunately Matt urgently needed to travel to Boston and couldn’t join us tonight. As much as we wish he was here with us, we know family comes first. So our thoughts are with you, Matt, and much love from your friends here in LA,” she said.

A pre-recorded message by Damon was also shown onscreen. The actor revealed that he found out he was the recipient of the Stanley Kubrick Award for Excellence in Film six months ago. He expressed how delighted he was to attend the ceremony, but was unable to due to an emergency. “I’m really sorry not to be with you tonight,” he said.

Unfortunately, no other details about the emergency were disclosed. But it certainly did not have anything to do with a recent controversy that the actor was involved in. Rose McGowan accused Damon of keeping quiet about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct, but he has since denied the claims, according to E! News.

But this is not the first time that actor had to attend to a family emergency. In April, his daughter was stung by a jellyfish while they were vacationing with Chris Hemsworth in Australia.

According to the Courier Mail, the 6-year-old was enjoying her time at the beach when she suddenly let out a thunderous scream. Paramedics came to the child’s rescue and treated her at the scene. Damon and his wife, Luciana Barroso, have two other children together, Isabella, 11, and Gia, 9. Barroso has a daughter from her previous relationship, Alexia, 18.

Damon has a very close relationship with all of his three daughters, as well as Barroso’s biological teen. “I think everything changes in little wonderful ways. My whole life opened up when I became a dad. I’m very much on the receiving end of all the good stuff,” he told Entertainment Tonight.