Matt Damon is one of the biggest action stars in the entertainment industry. He has given numerous box office hits including the Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting. He is known for intense acting and thrilling action scenes. Some of his remarkable roles are in Air, The Martian, Ford v Ferrari, The Departed, and others. The actor was widely applauded for exceptional acting in The Bourne Identity series. Hence, when he was offered a similar role, he was not sure.
The Bourne Identity helped Damon establish his career as an action star and opened doors for more career opportunities. However, when the actor got a similar role in another film, he refused it for a specific reason.
Ben Affleck’s Paycheck was initially offered to Matt Damon
In an interview with Ben Affleck with IGN, he shared the lead role in Paycheck was offered to Matt Damon first. However, despite an offer by a prestigious director John Woo, he turned it down.
Batman star recalled,
“Interestingly enough, John went to Matt first, because he saw The Bourne Identity and loved what Matt did in it. And Matt was obviously flattered to meet John Woo. … But he read the script, and he was like, ‘I can’t do two amnesia pictures. Otherwise, people are going to say, ‘Why are you doing so many amnesia pictures?’ He called me and said, ‘You know, I met with John. There’s a really good script. You ought to check it out and get on this.’ And I said, ‘Really? Okay.’”
“And, as luck would have it, John was in New York to meet with Matt and flew back to Los Angeles, and on the plane, the movie they were showing was Changing Lanes, and I got offered the movie when he got back.”
Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman were cast as leading actors in the film.
Also read- Matt Damon was Originally Considered for Marvel Role in $179M Disaster Before His BFF Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck felt inspired by John Woo to venture into directing
In continuation of the interview, Affleck opened up on getting a chance to work with director John Woo. He shared,
“He sees movies as a long dance that he is going to choreograph between the performers and the camera. … It was a wonderful learning experience for me as someone who wants to be a director. John is also really character driven. I think that’s what elevates his movies so that they sort of transcend what people think of as like the shoot-’em-up drama, is that they are really always based on what the character is doing and feeling.
“In this movie, you see the recurrence of themes that John has worked with throughout his career. Friendship, betrayal, love, doves… And guys going like this, [makes the imitation of two imaginary guns face to face with his hands].’ That was the high point for me. I have to admit it! I was like, ‘Please, John, let me do it!’ He’s like, [makes another Woo grunt]. All right. Ben. Okay. Do guns like this.’ He was forever giving me the, like, beleaguered grunt…”
Paycheck was a 2003 film in which a lead has memory loss, and he is on the run to save his life. It was a commercial success with a gross of $117.2 million on a $60 million budget.
Source- IGN
