What we see on the big screen is just the tip of the iceberg; the real game is what goes on behind the scenes. The time spent in preparation for a project is what really takes things to the next level, and a lot of it depends on the actors involved. Take an example of Matt Damon’s supporting role in Courage Under Fire; the actor nearly got himself killed in preparation for the movie.
Implementing a ridiculous diet while preparing for his role in Courage Under Fire, Matt Damon ended up crossing some lines with his health. Going on a drastic and unhealthy journey to lose weight, the actor revealed how it had a negative impact on his health and almost permanently affected his heart.
Matt Damon’s Ridiculous Preparation for Courage Under Fire
Matt Damon undoubtedly rose to prominence in the 90s with Good Will Hunting, alongside his childhood pal, Ben Affleck. But prior to that, when he was struggling to find fame in the industry, Damon landed a supporting role in the 1996 movie Courage Under Fire, starring Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan.
While the movie helped Matt Damon find some popularity and turn heads, it also had a damaging impact on his health. Trying hard to attract the attention of a few acclaimed filmmakers with his performance and dedication to his roles, Damon confessed to implementing a ridiculous sort of unsupervised diet that nearly got him killed.
Also read: “What have I done?”: One Movie Almost Gave Matt Damon Mind-Numbing Depression
Attempting to lose weight for his supporting role in Courage Under Fire, Matt Damon mentioned dropping 60Ibs by only eating chicken breast. Nonetheless, the actor’s drastic and unhealthy diet allowed him to have an extreme physical transformation in a short amount of time. But that came at the cost of near-fatal damage to his heart.
Matt Damon’s Unhealthy Diet Had a Severe Impact on His Heart
Speaking with Express UK, Matt Damon noted how he took extreme measures to lose weight for his role, as soon as possible. Discussing how he ran up to 13 miles per day and only had chicken breasts, the actor opened up about the unsupervised diet that could have gotten him killed, while he was desperately trying to attract a director’s attention towards himself.
“I had to run about 13 miles a day, which wasn’t even the hard part. The hard part was the diet… I had to be thin and went on an unsupervised diet which could have killed me.”
Recalling the adverse effect his diet had on his health, Matt Damon mentioned how he narrowly escaped near-fatal damage to his heart. As his diet lacked numerous vitamins and minerals, Damon noted feeling ill on sets and getting heat flashes.
“I didn’t have to act at all – I was a wreck. I was getting dizzy spells and hot flashes. I didn’t say anything to anyone for a while because I was afraid I might be really ill.”
Later, he was informed by a doctor that he could’ve shrunk his heart permanently because of his unsupervised diet. Addressing the adverse health effects during an interview with Vanity Fair, Matt Damon confessed the reason behind his extreme diet.
“I was sick of reading scripts that Chris O’Donnell had passed on, and I was looking for something to set me apart: ‘Look what I’ll do, I’ll kill myself!’ Directors took note of it.”
Eventually, the actor’s performance impressed Francis Ford Coppola enough to land a role in The Rainmaker.
