(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Matt Damon was extremely cautious when shooting a violent scene involving him and Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit.

The Hollywood actor appears in the Coen brothers' movie alongside 14-year-old Hailee, and in one gritty scene his character takes Hailees character over his knee and hits her with a wooden reed.

Although Matt felt the sequence was an integral part of the plot, he paid extra attention to ensure he didnt harm his co-star.

"It's a scene in the movie that needs to be there for a whole host of reasons," he told People.

"And so, they just put a big pad on Hailee. And we practiced. And I said, 'Hailee, does that hurt?' And she said, 'I can't even feel it.'"

Matt is happily married to Luciana Barroso, and the couple have three daughters together; Isabella, four, two-year-old Gia and Stella, who was born in October. Luciana also has a daughter from a previous relationship called Alexia and the family are a happy unit. When discussing True Grit, Matt took the chance to speak out against smacking children.

I definitely don't spank 'em," he added.

True Grit tells the story of a tough US Marshal who assists a young lady in hunting down the murderer of her father and is to be released in the US later this month. (C) Cover Media