Matt Damon was subject to a petition calling for the removal of his Ocean's Eight appearance after making some controversial comments regarding sexual harassment and misconduct last year.

His role in the female-led movie may have been nothing more than a planned cameo, but either way, the filmmakers have noticed the uproar after the petition received over 28,000 signatures.

Barry Wetcher Warner Bros.

According to Contact Music, Damon had completed his brief work on the female-led production, but his scenes were tossed onto the cutting room floor during editing. This is commonplace in the film industry, but Digital Spy have reached out to the actor's reps for official comment.

Warner Bros.

The decision comes shortly after Ocean's Eight's very own Richard Armitage shared his take on the film's female-centric identity.

"It's a very man-free zone, isn't it?" he said. "I don't know whether it's unusual, but I've worked so many times with female directors, female producers... and although the film was directed by Gary Ross, Sandy Bullock was executive producer and Olivia Milch was the screenwriter [with Ross]."

The Hobbit trilogy actor clearly enjoyed the on-set camaraderie, pinpointing the actresses' professional but joyful approach to filmmaking. "They collaborate with each other, enjoy each other, have fun with each other," he said.

Warner Bros.

He also noticed how their roles were written to ensure women were not pitted against each other.

He said: "At no point are they pitted against each other, which I think is really great and unusual, because often writers like to see women fighting with each other and bringing each other down.

"For something which is about crime, it's got a very upbeat feel to it."

Ocean's Eight arrives in UK cinemas on June 18, after opening in the US on June 8.

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