Matt Damon made his breakthrough in the 90s starring in critically acclaimed films such as Courage Under Fire (1996), The Rainmaker (1997), Good Will Hunting (1997), Saving Private Ryan (1998), and The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). He started the 2000s starring in director Robert Redford’s sports drama The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) which also starred Will Smith and Charlize Theron. Damon played a golfer who was mentored by a mystical mystery man called Bagger Vance played by Will Smith. The film bombed at the box office grossing only $39 million against its $80 million production budget. Damon may have indirectly predicted its failure when he expressed his doubts regarding doing justice to the character to his director.
Matt Damon Thought He Would Look Like a Jackass Golfer
In an interview with Hollywood.com, actor Matt Damon was promoting his film The Legend of Bagger Vance which was directed by Legendary director Robert Redford. Damon is a huge fan of Redford and was ecstatic to be working with him. But he was concerned with the lack of skills and expertise of golfing which his character is supposed to be playing in the film. Although he practiced hard at the game, he expressed his concerns to Redford saying,
“That was my big concern. I told Robert Redford I didn’t know much about golf, I heard it was pretty hard, and I just didn’t want to look like a jackass. And he said since I played baseball, I would be fine. I never played and I still suck, but I like to play. I have a whole new appreciation for it. I had opinions about golf without having every played it. It’s an incredible, really deep game. It’s a fascinating game”
Even though he was not as skilled in golfing and was not as comfortable playing the character of a rising golfer in the film, Redford’s assurance made him take part in the film. But the film did not turn out in his favor as it flopped at the box office.
Matt Damon Had Huge Praise for Robert Redford as a Director
Even though he was doubtful of doing justice to his role, Matt Damon had nothing but kind words for his director Robert Redford. He talked about Redford’s direction and his general acting experiences saying,
“Some people I’ve worked with—not recently, but in the past can really give a lot of chatter. A lot of talking about nothing. Acting is really easy to talk about, but really difficult to do, so you can get bogged down in too many conversations. You’re really defeating yourself in the end. I find that really simple and direct the direction, the more helpful it is to me.”
Damon is himself an Academy Award-winning writer and knows the process of filmmaking and the various elements that are needed to execute a vision. He is aware of the challenges and understands that being an actor is a tough job. Thus, his words are reflective of his experiences and the knowledge that he has gained over the years.
What is Matt Damon Working on Now?
After starring in the critically acclaimed Air (2023) directed by his friend Ben Affleck, Matt Damon is set to star in three upcoming projects. He will star in Drive-Away Dolls, a road comedy film directed by Ethan Coen also starring Margaret Qualley, Pedro Pascal, Beanie Feldstein, and Geraldine Viswanathan. He will also make an appearance in John Krasinski’s fantasy comedy IF, also starring Krasinski, Ryan Reynolds, and Fiona Shaw among others.
He will lead the upcoming heist thriller film The Instigators, directed by Doug Liman which also stars Casey Affleck, Hong Chau, Paul Walter Hauser, and Ving Rhames.
Source: Hollywood.com
