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Matt Damon gives a candid interview in the upcoming January issue of Playboy. The actor is currently starring in Promised Land, which he cowrote and costars in with John Krasinski, and will play against type in the upcoming HBO movie Behind the Candelabra as Liberace's lover. Matt, who sat down with a writer for the magazine in NYC, also opened up about life with his family and their good friends and new LA neighbors, the Garner-Afflecks. Here are some highlights:

• On whether living near the Garner-Afflecks attracts attention: "We lived in the same neighborhood this Summer and had no problems at all. Granted, we didn't look for attention by parading our kids down the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. . . . Ben and Jen are both famous, and people are interested in her and how she parents, which makes them a target. If we had gotten it like that, I wouldn't have gone to Los Angeles."
• On his first nude scene: "Well, normally I'd say no to nudity, but I just did a lot of it playing the long-term partner of Liberace, Scott Thorson, in Behind the Candelabra. I mean, it's tastefully done. Steven Soderbergh directed it, and Michael Douglas plays Liberace. But this movie's not going to be for everyone. . . . There's stuff I think will make people uncomfortable. Great. It's HBO — they can change the channel."
• On kissing Michael: "We both have a lot of gay friends, and we were not going to screw this up or bullsh*t it. It wasn't the most natural thing in the world to do, though. Like, for one scene, I had to come out of a pool, go over to Michael, straddle him on a chaise lounge and start kissing him. . . . We drew it up like a football plan. I remember asking Heath Ledger after Brokeback Mountain, 'How'd you do that scene with Jake?' — meaning the scene where they start ferociously kissing. He said, 'Well, mate, I drank a half case of beer in my trailer.'"
• On his wife, Luciana: "This is the first relationship I've had that wasn't like work to be in. . . . There's always stuff you can work on, of course, but being married and having kids, for me, there's a lot of romance, but it's a much bigger endeavor with a lot of nuts-and-bolts problem-solving you have to do together. It's like building a company. . . . I wish I were better because my wife deserves somebody who surprises her with a gift or flowers or some wonderful idea. I've never been good at that, and she's really good at it, which makes me feel even more like sh*t."

Tom Cruise chatted with Playboy about his new movie Rock of Ages, but the conversation between the actor and interviewer Michael Fleming got quite personal. No stranger to promoting movies, Tom is happy to discuss his career and ambitions, but rarely talks about his childhood. However, in Playboy, Tom gave a great deal of insight about growing up with his mom and sisters, but not his dad. Tom also spoke about the tough career time he went through in 2005 after PR-unwise interviews on the Today show and Oprah. Tom additionally had nothing but kind words to say about his wife Katie Holmes and their family. Here are highlights:

• On loving Katie: "She is an extraordinary person, and if you spent five minutes with her, you'd see it. Everything she does, she does with this beautiful creativity. When she becomes interested in something, she doesn't talk about it, she does it. One week I said to her, 'You've been up in the middle of the night. Is everything okay?' She smiled and then threw this thing on my desk and said, 'I wrote this script.' She wanted to try it, and she did. She wanted to try designing clothes, and now her line is wonderful and, to me, an example of how she just creates beautiful things in her life. She has a voice and warmth as an artist, as a mother. She's funny and charming, and when she walks into the room, I just feel better. I’m a romantic. I like doing things like creating romantic dinners, and she enjoys that. I don't know what to say — I'm just happy, and I have been since the moment I met her. What we have is very special."
• On growing up without his dad around: "It wasn't a big conflict when I was growing up; that's just the way it was. I don't look back and feel bad. I know some people do, but it's not a burden I carry through life. It's more like, OK, this happened. That's how he behaved, that's how he did things. He tried, but it just was who he was. Traveling has given me a broader understanding of people, and I've always been interested in the similarities we have and why people make certain choices in life. I got an introduction to that as a young child, but it never felt like a weight I carried on my shoulders."
• On how he looks so young: "I honestly have no idea. [laughs] I work. I'm always with family. I train, go without sleep. I just go hard."

To read more about what Tom says on having the same values as when he was a child, not caring about bad press, and his tough times in 2005, just read more

Meghan McCain is no stranger to racy pictures. Back in 2009 the daughter of John McCain caught heat for posting a photo on Twitter that showed a healthy helping of her cleavage. Meghan's in Playboy this month, but it's not doing what you might think. There aren't any soft core shots. But she does offer this gem, "I'm strictly dickly. I can't help it. I love sex and I love men." Here are some highlights, including some talk about gay rights and politics.

On her sexuality: "My friends from home came over to support me, and we got in my parents’ big bed. They have this huge California king and we just stayed up eating ice cream. I’m not a lesbian, if that’s what you’re asking. I’d be the first person to tell the world I was gay. I’m not private about anything. I think you should live how you should live. But I’m strictly dickly. I can’t help it. I love sex and I love men."

On what life would be like if her dad was president: "Oh, Lord. You would have the craziest first daughter ever, who’d be making ridiculous headlines and hurting the administration every step of the way. That aside, I think Dad would have made an incredible president. The recession wouldn’t have been as bad as it is now. We wouldn’t be pulling troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq."

On supporting same-sex marriage: "Who people want to sleep with and who they want to love should not have anything to do with government politics at all. And if you see me in a gay bar, it’s only because they play the best music and my gay friends like to dance. Gay guys love me. It’s the big boobs and blonde hair."