Matt Damon starred in the Robert Redford-directed sports drama film The Legend of Bagger Vance. The film which also starred Will Smith and Charlize Theron proved to be a challenging one for Damon as he played a golfer, a sport which he never played or was interested in real life. Dedicated as he is, he underwent several hours and days of practice trying to perfect his swings in preparation for the film.
The long and tiring efforts of his practice proved to be fatal to his body. Damon suffered a lot of injuries to his body and impressed director Redford through his dedication. The level of injuries he suffered was severe and it took a toll on him physically and emotionally.
Matt Damon Suffered Various Injuries Perfecting Golf, including a Rib Fracture
Matt Damon played an aspiring golfer in 2000’s The Legend of Bagger Vance. He had no prior experience with the sport and he underwent a rigorous preparation to perfect the game. His hard work and effort, although inspiring, proved to be perilous to his physical health. He had blisters on his hands from constant practice. One of his co-stars from the film, Joel Gretsch told ABC News,
“When I got down to Savannah, Matt had blisters on every finger from hitting practice balls. He’d keep hitting even though he was blistered.”
Damon even suffered a rib fracture while preparing for the film. He told CBS News,
“Actually I figured out in this movie that if you take a golf club all the way back and come through as hard as you can and drive the club straight down into the ground and keep your body going, you can actually break a rib.”
Unfortunately, Damon’s dedication and hard work did not pay off as he was considered unconvincing in the role when the film came out. The film also became a flop at the box office.
Matt Damon Was Hugely Inspired By Robert Redford’s Work Ethic
Matt Damon and Robert Redford worked together in The Legend of Bagger Vance. Damon was a huge fan of Redford and the many acclaimed films that he had done before. He was very happy when he was cast in the film and he was hugely inspired by the director’s work ethic. He told Hollywood.com,
“He gives really simple, really practical direction. Some people I’ve worked with—not recently, but in the past can really give a lot of chatter. A lot of talking about nothing. Acting is really easy to talk about, but really difficult to do, so you can get bogged down in too many conversations. You’re really defeating yourself in the end. I find that really simple and direct the direction, the more helpful it is to me.”
Damon had a very good 2023 with both his films Air and Oppenheimer being lauded by critics and audiences and becoming huge success stories in his illustrious career. He has three films lined up in 2024 including Ethan Coen’s Drive-Away Dolls, John Krasinski’s IF, and Doug Liman’s The Instigators.
