Matt Damon’s career began with an Academy Award win as he walked on stage alongside a grinning and wide-eyed 25-year-old Ben Affleck, his inseparable best friend, for better or for worse. Over the years, the Hollywood duo became a powerhouse, both together and in their individual rights.
Despite the industry needing them to establish their own identities without them always being associated with each other, decades down the line, Affleck and Damon did find their way back to each other – a story that could rival and challenge the authenticity of even the best of Nicholas Sparks novels.
Matt Damon Shuts Down James Bond Role on Principle
In his years as an actor and a filmmaker, Matt Damon has rarely ever run into what is conventionally marked as a box office flop. Known for his eponymous roles in films, Jason Bourne and The Martian, the award-winning actor has always managed to navigate scripts in a manner that would bring him up to the top – be it in sci-fi, action thrillers, or coming-of-age genres. Damon’s diverse range and career spectrum varied so spectacularly that the actor was eyed from across the pond as a potential Bond candidate – although no one would think much of it given he is an American.
However, when faced with the question himself, the Good Will Hunting actor claimed two things: that James Bond was a man out of time in the 21st-century world and that Jason Bourne would easily defeat him in a fight. In an interview with GQ, Matt Damon stated:
I like Bourne better than Bond. Bourne has today’s values. Bond has the values of the 1960s. Daniel’s Bond has upgraded him and brought him more into the present, but, classically, that character is a misogynist who likes swilling martinis and killing people and not giving a shit.
Whereas Jason Bourne is a serial monogamist – and he’s tortured by the things he’s done and feels empathy and compassion for other people. And Bourne would obviously win in a fight.
Ironically, however, Damon would go on to be cut out of a legacy film very much for the same shortcomings he spoke out against while referring to James Bond. His sexist comments while talking about Harvey Weinstein resulted in the actor getting cut out of his cameo scene in Sandra Bullock‘s film, Ocean’s 8.
Matt Damon Loses a Role Due To Controversial Comments
The Bourne franchise actor who made a name for himself starring in ensemble features like Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan and Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Trilogy, once sparked an online rage among modern popular culture after his comments about the Weinstein scandal. After facing the internet’s wrath for claiming not all forms of sexual abuse “belong in the same category,” the actor backtracked by conceding to the public opinion.
I really wish I’d listened a lot more before I weighed in on this. I don’t want to further anybody’s pain with anything that I do or say. So for that, I am really sorry. A lot of those women are my dear friends, and I love them and respect them and support what they’re doing and want to be a part of that change…but I should get in the backseat and close my mouth for a while.
Currently, the actor has reunited with his best friend, Ben Affleck, to start the Artists Equity production house which values the work of all departments that work to bring a film to the big screen, including the sound crew, cinematographers, and visual effects artists. Artists Equity looks to award all creatives and artists equally rather than most of the profits from a film going to the actors, directors, and producers.
Matt Damon is set to star in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming project, Oppenheimer, which releases in theatres on July 21, 2023.
Source: GQ
