Matt Damon is undeniably one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood. He has chosen and starred in some high-grossing films, that earned him a total net worth of $170 million. However, the Ford v. Ferrari actor’s star status didn’t come from solely choosing financially viable projects. The Harvard dropout began chasing his film dreams back in 1992 when he started developing the script, which would later become Good Will Hunting.
Throughout his career, the Air actor has worked with great directors in the industry, including Francis Ford Coppola, Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, and Martin Scorsese. What sets Damon apart is his willingness to make salary compromises in pursuit of great projects.
Matt Damon Took A Pay Cut For Martin Scorsese’s Film
Matt Damon established himself as an action star in the early 2000s with the Bourne franchise. The first installment, The Bourne Identity was released in 2002, followed by four sequels. Damon was a part of four of these movies, except The Bourne Legacy, where Jeremy Renner took the lead. For The Bourne Identity, Damon’s salary was a whopping $10 million. For the sequels, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, his salary was reportedly $26 million each (via StyleCaster).
While working on the Ocean’s trilogy, Damon was offered a role in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed. The offer was made to him by his Ocean’s co-star Brad Pitt, who had bought the remake rights of the Hong Kong film, Infernal Affairs. But Damon had to take a significant pay cut after having earned $26 million from The Bourne Supremacy, which was released just before The Departed. It is reported that The Martian actor was offered in the range of $7-$10 million for the role.
However, Damon was more than happy to take on the role of Staff Sergeant Colin Sullivan in the film. Damon starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson in the film. The Oppenheimer actor’s decision was not motivated by the box office but rather by his desire to be part of one of the best scripts. The Last Duel actor told IGN:
“…between Supremacy and Ultimatum, the scripts that I read were Syriana, The Departed, and The Good Shepherd. They were easily the best scripts I’d read, but none of those movies, on the face, would seem like they’d make a nickel at the box office.”
The Departed was a critical and commercial hit earning $291.5 million at the box office. The film won the Best Picture Oscar and also garnered three other Awards including the Best Director for Martin Scorsese.
Matt Damon Further Explained Why He Accepted The Pay Cut
Further justifying his significant pay cut for the movie, Matt Damon revealed that Martin Scorsese’s films were undoubtedly masterpieces, but not everyone’s cup of tea. Giving the examples of Goodfellas and Raging Bull, which were not commercially huge films, the True Grit actor explained that such movies only get made when the actors cut their fees. Damon shared with IGN:
“Even The Departed, which went on to do really well; I mean, Marty [Scorcese]’s movies – Goodfellas, Raging Bull — don’t make a lot of money. When they’re released, they’re instantly masterpieces, but they appeal to a smaller number of people. So when you do a film like that, you cut your fee — all three of those movies were ‘cut your fee’ kinds of movies in order to get them made.”
Martin Scorsese’s films definitely have a separate fan base, and fans are eagerly awaiting his next release, Killers of the Flower Moon. The film got raving reviews from film festivals and features Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, two of the go-to actors for Martin Scorsese.
The Departed is now available for streaming on Netflix.
Source: IGN
