Matt Damon is one of Hollywood’s multifaceted stars who has gained success in front of the camera as well as behind it. Together with his close friend Ben Affleck, Damon achieved the highest honor on Oscar night for Best Original Screenplay for his film Good Will Hunting. Over the years, the actor has proved his talent by doing a gamut of challenging and diverse roles.
It was not always a bed of roses for Matt Damon, who went through a phase of failed films that reduced his impact at the box office. Just as he was struggling to find his foothold back into Hollywood, The Martian star’s career was revived by two films that became Hollywood’s biggest grosser.
Matt Damon Saved His Acting Career With This Film
Matt Damon is arguably one of Hollywood’s most successful stars who has received an equal share of critical acclaim and commercial success over the years. While his impressive filmography is the envy of many, the Good Will Hunting actor went through a bad patch in his career when he was part of a series of films that bombed at the box office.
With failures like Rounders, The Legend of Bagger Vance, and All The Pretty Horses, Damon’s position and influence as an actor in Hollywood were under threat. In an exclusive interview with Playboy (via Fortune City News), he spoke of his reputation hanging by a thread, auditioning for films without success, and his next project, The Bourne Identity, already being judged before release.
“I was off that list you want to be on. And everyone in the industry was whispering, ‘I heard The Bourne Identity is in trouble’ because we had done two rounds of reshoots and the release had been postponed. I thought, ‘Well, this f***ing movie is gone, and that’s three movies in a row that I’ve tried to headline, so that’s it.’”
Fortunately for Damon, the stars aligned at the opportune moment, with The Bourne Identity becoming one of the actor’s biggest-ever blockbusters. This film was closely followed by The Departed actor’s presence in the star-studded Ocean’s Eleven, which further served as a catalyst for him to regain his lost glory while making huge collections at the box office.
How Failure Changed Matt Damon’s Attitude To Fame
While Matt Damon has been fortunate to have courted fame through his films, the actor has also been on the other side of the fence, with his career being in the doldrums owing to many unsuccessful projects. These experiences were instrumental in Damon being humble and realizing that success and failure are two sides of the same coin. In a candid talk with Playboy (via Fortune City News), the actor shared valuable insights about the fickle nature of the entertainment industry.
“It’s a stunning realization that nobody is secure in this business. You start to meet people who can’t pay their mortgages and you think, but you were on the cover of Premiere eight years ago. And you assume that Tom Cruise is secure, but I guarantee you that guy isn’t secure either, because there are always footsteps behind you.”
