“He looked more like me than I did”: Matt Damon Was Left Speechless By His Oscar-Nominated Doppelgänger after Meeting Him for the First Time
- Matt Damon address Jesse Plemons’ uncanny resemblance to him.
- Damon wishes to work with Plemons in future if opportunity comes his way.
- Jude Law admits to enjoying Netflix's mini-series Ripley while Matt Damon says he finds it hard to watch.
Regarded as one of the finest actors in the industry, Matt Damon gained worldwide prominence after he co-wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting alongside longtime friend and collaborator Ben Affleck. The actor later appeared in successful movies including The Talented Mr. Ripley, the Bourne franchise, Ocean’s Trilogy, The Martian, Departed, and more, which helped him establish himself as a leading man.
Matt Damon’s highest-grossing feature is Oppenheimer, in which he appeared alongside Cillian Murphy. The actor has been appreciated for his work over the years and has managed to set up a loyal fan base for himself. Surprisingly, not only does Damon have a loyal fan base, but he also has a doppelgänger in the industry, and he shared his experience of meeting an actor who looks very much like him.
Matt Damon talks about Jesse Plemons’ uncanny resemblance to him
Actor Jesse Plemons played the younger version of Matt Damon’s character John Grady Cole in the movie All The Pretty Horses, directed by Billy Bob Thornton. During an interview with Access Hollywood in June, Plemons was asked about the doppelgänger claims with Matt Damon, and he recalled;
Aside from me playing him as a young boy when I was 11 or so, no, I haven’t seen him. I wonder how he feels about this. I’m beyond flattered. Definitely flattered by the comparison, but I’d be curious to hear his thoughts.
Earlier Plemons had appeared on The Today Show (via UniLad) and shared that he has had various Matt Damon-associated nicknames as such throughout the course of his career.
Matt Damon, who appeared at Access Hollywood in July, i.e., ahead of the release of his movie The Instigators, was asked about the resemblance between the two actors, to which Damon said,
I remember when he came to the set of All the Pretty Horses and the crew was freaking out. Like five people came up to me before I met him and said, ‘You’re not going to believe how much this kid looks like you.’.
Damon noted that the crew took a picture of them when they met and added,
I couldn’t believe it. He looked more like me than I did when I was little. Like my little 11-year-old face did not look like it was going to become me. Like he looked exactly like me. I was like, ‘This is weird.’
Unfortunately, Jesse Plemons’ scene from the movie did not make it to the final cut, but the actors do remember meeting each other. Damon lastly added that he’d love to work with the Academy Award-winning actor sometime in the future whenever an opportunity arises for them to work together.
Matt Damon talks about his challenge with watching Netflix’s Ripley
Ahead of the release of The Instigators, Damon, along with fellow actor Casey Affleck, appeared at New York City’s premiere of the movie at the Lincoln Center. During an interview with IndieWire, Matt Damon shared his challenge of watching Netflix’s adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley in a mini-series titled Ripley.
The series starred Andrew Scott in the titular character that Damon played in 1999’s psychological thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley. He was asked if he’d like to return as Tom Ripley, to which he said,
I don’t know. I associate the one that we did so much with Anthony Minghella, who’s passed away now, that I don’t know. I even had trouble watching the new one, as beautiful as it was and as great as everybody was. It was hard at first for me to sink back into it just because I had so many great memories, but they’re all wrapped up in these personal feelings about the experience.
Damon starred alongside Jude Law in the movie, who had shared with EW that he’s enjoying the mini-series, adding that it’s great material. Law, who starred as Dickie Greenleaf in the movie added, that like any great source material, the show is rewarding and interesting. He also added that it is always nice to watch something from a fresh perspective.
The actor added that he hadn’t watched the original in many years so it was funny how many of the scenes in the mini-series were similar to the ones in the movie. He noted that those scenes kicked up so many memories for him and he kept thinking that he remembers it.
The miniseries, upon its release, received positive comments from the audience and the critics. It has received 13 nominations at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. Ripley is streaming on Netflix.
