Since the triumph of the 1997 film he co-wrote with Ben Affleck, Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon has been a constant presence in the public eye. This critically acclaimed movie not only earned him the prestigious Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay but also thrust him into the glitzy realm of celebrity lifestyle.
Following the release of Good Will Hunting, Damon grappled with the challenges of life as a Hollywood star. The sudden surge of attention proved difficult to handle, leaving him feeling uneasy for years. To cope with the overwhelming fame, he sought solace in his work, using it as a means to overcome his discomfort.
Matt Damon Had To Hire Fake Friends For A Photoshoot
Matt Damon found himself in an utterly surreal situation when he was invited to a photoshoot for Premiere Magazine in the late 1990s. The staged shoot involved playing mud football with a group of friends, who later lifted him onto their shoulders. It was at that moment he made a startling discovery – none of the men in the pictures were strangers; they were all familiar faces.
“I remember thinking it was kind of the peak of the surreality because they had to hire fake friends,” Damon admitted. “I remember just thinking, ‘This is f****** crazy. What is going on with my life?’ They’ve literally hired extras to play my friends and pretend to have a good time with me.”
In a later segment of the interview, Damon reflected on the challenges of fame, highlighting that the most difficult aspect is not how the world changes but rather how profoundly an individual’s life is altered.
Fortunately, Damon found comfort and unwavering support in his family, as they remained constant and steadfast throughout his journey, never altering their loyalty towards him.
Matt Damon Found It Difficult To Handle Fame
During a 2020 interview with The Off Camera Show, Damon delved into the hurdles he faced while navigating the path to fame.
“Trying to recalibrate your whole life when you become famous, that was a moment for me,” Damon said. “It took a couple of years to try to find my feet again, after Good Will Hunting.”
In the face of newfound fame, each person reacts uniquely. For Damon, he immersed himself further into his work as a coping mechanism to handle the unease that accompanied his celebrity status.
“I think I hid — my work really saved me,” Damon said. “Because I was able to still be an actor. Movie crews don’t care about any of this nonsense, they just want to work. … Work kind of shielded me from all of that bulls***.”
Matt Damon rose to fame after his film Good Will Hunting garnered critical acclaim. Good Will Hunting is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: Cheatsheet
