Matt Damon, star of new movie 'The Great Wall': 'I'm not a believer in walls

Actor Matt Damon, who starred in the new movie "The Great Wall," was asked recently how he feels about another wall: President Donald Trump's proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Damon sat down with People to go behind the scenes of "The Great Wall," a film in which Damon plays the role of a European mercenary, battling it out with Chinese soldiers at the Great Wall of China during the Song dynasty, which spanned from 960 to 1279 A.D.

"The Great Wall" debuted in the U.S. just days before Trump administration officials met Wednesday with Mexican officials about the proposed border between the two countries. Trump promised throughout his campaign that he would build the massive structure and "make Mexico pay for it." Damon, however, made clear he's not a fan of the idea.

“I’m not a believer in walls,” Damon told People recently. “I believe that history belongs to the cooperators and nor am I of a mind that Mexico is going to pay for our infrastructure anymore than we’re going to pay for their highways, you know what I mean?"

"That’s just not going to happen but, that’s where we are and we’ll see how it all kind of plays out," Damon added.

The actor said "hopefully" people in Mexico know that the "majority" of the American people don't actually support building the barrier.

According to a Feb. 8 Quinnipiac University poll, the majority of Americans did, in fact, oppose building a wall along the southern border.

Fifty-nine percent of Americans polled said they oppose building a wall while just 38 percent said they supported it. When the same people were asked how they feel about building a wall if the U.S. has to foot the bill instead of Mexico, the percentage who said they oppose the wall rose to 63 percent, compared with just 35 percent who supported it.

"The Great Wall" debuted in U.S. theaters Friday, where it had a relatively slow first weekend. The $150 million film raked in just $21 million between Friday and Monday. The film has performed much better overseas, however, bringing in a whopping $171 million in China alone and another $224.5 million worldwide since December, according to Forbes.

Damon's statement was not necessarily a surprise, given he made headlines just last June while delivering a commencement address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During the speech, Damon urged graduates to "engage" with other cultures. Damon said the inspiration came from something former President Bill Clinton once told him, "Turn towards the problem you see, you have to engage."

"Human beings will take your breath away," Damon said, according to Entertainment Tonight. They will teach you so much, but you have to engage."

"There's a lot of trouble out there, MIT, but there's a lot of beauty too, and I hope you see both," Damon added.

(H/T: Townhall)