November 19, 2020 • bachelor insider
Chris Harrison Calls Matt James 'Unbelievably Sweet' in Interview with Rachel Lindsay
Earlier this week, Bachelor Nation fans got a sneak peek of Matt James' season of "The Bachelor" in a newly released teaser. It features women "literally falling" for him, as well as shots of him walking shirtless in a field.
The trailer also shows the new Bachelor admitting to Chris Harrison that he’s never been in love.
"My job is to change that," Chris says.
Chris spoke with Rachel Lindsay on "Extra" about the trailer, as well as what to expect this season. Rachel said about Matt never having been in love, "If I had a red flag, I’d be waving it right now."
She wanted to know how to "differentiate between infatuation and love if you’ve never experienced it," and how having camera crews filming it all probably doesn’t make it any easier.
The longtime host agreed with Rachel that this would be a "hurdle to cross" for Matt and that she was "not wrong about being leery about it."
He continued, "When I heard it for the first time, it was pretty jarring for me. There are those statements you hear when you’re like, 'Oh, OK. I need to see how serious he takes it.' I will say this, he is an unbelievably sweet, sincere, kind, giving man. He has a huge, huge heart."
Chris asserted that Matt is not a "playboy" and doesn't have a "frat boy" mentality.
He said, "The fact that he’s so grounded and has such a big heart and is so philanthropic, I tend to think he is the type of guy that can find love."
Chris also explained to Rachel that Matt "may have gotten to know me quicker than any other Bachelor or Bachelorette" because he has such great conversation skills, saying, "He’s so sincere, quiet, grounded loving, thoughtful. He’s a great conversationalist. As you get to know him, he likes to talk to people and question people."
Chris even shared a story about how his daughter joined him at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort for filming "and he would just sit with her and have these great conversations about life, growing up, and what it’s like."
"I have a lot of respect for him," Chris said about the new Bachelor. "He’s a good man."
Chris confirmed that Matt does have discussions about race with the women on his season, saying, "It’s incumbent on us to have those conversations." He admired the fact that it all happened "organically" between Matt and the ladies.
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He added, "Matt and I had a few conversations about race, about the pressure on him, about the perception of a Black man, the world he comes from. He is a very thoughtful guy, very introspective and very smart. He knows there’s a light on him and that carries a lot of weight."
As for what to expect with Matt, Chris didn’t give away too many details, but gushed about how it’s "a great 'Bachelor' season."
He revealed, "There is drama, of course. There is this amazing man that people are fighting for. The claws come out."
Matt James’ season of "The Bachelor" premieres Monday, January 4, at 8 p.m. on ABC.