“I am really scared of them”: Matt Damon is Nothing Like His Most Popular Character in Real Life
Matt Damon is one of the best actors in Hollywood. He rose to fame with the 1997 movie Good Will Hunting which he co-wrote and starred in with his childhood best friend Ben Affleck. He went on to star in several great movies such as Saving Private Ryan, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Ocean’s Eleven.
Matt Damon took over the titular role in the Bourne franchise in 2002, but what many might not know is that at the time, it was a standalone movie The Bourne Identity. He went on to star in four more sequels of the franchise, the last of which was released in 2016. He once revealed that there is one particular thing that he does not have in common with his character Jason Bourne.
Matt Damon Does Not Relate With Jason Bourne About One Thing
Matt Damon has appeared in several blockbuster movies over the years. However, his casting in The Bourne Identity seemed to be a matter of sheer luck because the role was initially offered to numerous actors including Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and Sylvester Stallone. Damon accepted the role because he had never done something this physically demanding.
In an interview with Playboy Interview in August 2004, Damon revealed the one thing that he did not have in common with his character Jason Bourne. On being asked if he liked guns like Bourne did, he said:
“I don’t like guns, and I really scared of them – not scared in the sense that I wouldn’t pick one up; I mean just respectful. Too many things can go wrong with a gun in your house so I don’t own one, but I am pretty good with them because, for the movie, I did hundreds of hours of training with a former SWAT team shotgunner who worked with Benicio del toro in Traffic.”
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This proved how dedicated Damon was to the character. Despite not being a fan of guns, he did hours of practice just to make sure that his holding a gun in the movie looked as realistic as possible.
Matt Damon Had No Idea There Would Be A Sequel
Matt Damon had not appeared in a sequel before he starred in The Bourne Supremacy, the sequel to The Bourne Identity. However, he once revealed that the sequel was not planned. It just came along after the release of the first one which was a critical and commercial success.
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When asked if his decision to star in the sequel was obligatory due to the contract or solely because he wanted to do it, Damon said:
“I didn’t want to do one of those cynical sequels that are just an attempt to make money. I was always skeptical that a second movie would happen because I didn’t see where it could go. Suddenly there was a great director, screenwriter and producer, so I couldn’t see why we shouldn’t do it.”
The Oppenheimer actor knew what his priorities were and his decisions were not influenced by the money-making agenda by any means which is a rare case given the current status of franchises in Hollywood.
