Most famous for his role as the guardian of Gotham City in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy along with headlining commercial and critical blockbusters alike, Christian Bale, is no starnger to the industry wanting him to become part of their film projects as well, and he gives it his level best to become the perfect star for the role.
But at the same time, those demands for him in the industry seem to have a peculiar connection to another major name in the Hollywood industry, which happens to be none other than Matt Damon. In the past, when talking about this strange occurrence, the star talked about how Damon’s rejection of a role led to him winning his first Oscar award.
How Matt Damon Rejecting The Role In The Fighter Led To Christian Bale Winning His Only Oscar
Most popular for his method acting practice that he swears by religiously, English actor Christian Bale has become somewhat of an icon in the film industry for playing some of the most impactful roles in some of the most impactful films in cinema history. But looking back at them, while the star may seem to be the perfect choice for almost every role he has played in his career, the most iconic among them didn’t consider him in the first choice. In fact, the role that won him his first and only Academy Award to this date was offered to him after Matt Damon rejected it.
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In a past interview with the Jason Bourne star, Bale talked about how it seems like every part that the star would reject would eventually come around and be offered to him. He also talked about how when he would hear that Damon had rejected the role he was being offered, it made almost no sense to him. Then finally, he disclosed that thanks to Damon rejecting the role of Dickie Eklund in The Fighter, he was able to win his first and only Oscar Award in the Best Actor in A Supporting Role category. Talking with GQ, he said:
“I think I’ve got a few projects that Matt passed on, After he would pass [on a role] I remember saying to people, ‘Why would Matt not want to do this? What am I missing?’”
This occurrence has been repeated before as well when legendary filmmaker Christopher Nolan asked Damon to play the role of Bruce Wayne in his critically acclaimed The Dark Knight Trilogy.
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What Was The Fighter About?
The Fighter is more about the journey of a fighter than the sport of boxing itself and tells the tale of a young athlete named Micky Ward, who comes from a family that revolves around this martial art. While his mother is his manager, his drug-addicted former boxer half-brother is his coach, and despite their efforts, the young man keeps on failing.
Then one day, almost dying in the ring against his opponent, he makes the decision to listen to his girlfriend for advice who tells him to take the hard step and leave his family behind. Seeing as he has nothing else he can do, he implements this advice to bring a change in his career.
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The Fighter, streaming on Prime Video.
Source: GQ
