“Nobody had offered me a job in a while”: Steven Soderbergh Accidentally Saved Matt Damon’s Drowning Career With an Offer When He Least Expected It

"Nobody had offered me a job in a while": Steven Soderbergh Accidentally Saved Matt Damon's Drowning Career With an Offer When He Least Expected It
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Matt Damon has starred in several iconic and remarkable movies over the years in Hollywood. From Ocean’s Eleven to The Martian, Damon has shined in his roles but that wasn’t always the case with the actor.

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Before Damon became a household name, the actor’s career was at a breaking point. Starring in several unsuccessful films, Damon was saved by director Steven Soderbergh when he offered a role in his movie. The film would go on to change Damon’s career with Steven Soderbergh accidentally saving Damon’s Hollywood life.

Matt Damon in and as Jason Bourne (2016)
Matt Damon in and as Jason Bourne (2016)

When Matt Damon Was Saved By Steven Soderbergh

Starring in 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven, Matt Damon found a stable footing in Hollywood. After the film, Damon starred in several movies that were massive flops or received average ratings, nothing that could put him on the map of Hollywood.

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Matt Damon in The Informant! (2009).
Matt Damon in The Informant! (2009).

Also read: “Just do not hit me in the face”: Matt Damon’s Expensive Deal With His Stuntmen Failed To Impress His Jason Bourne Co-star Vincent Cassel

Talking about the old days, the actor revealed that American director Steven Soderbergh offered Damon a lead role in his movie at the perfect time. Revealing about the 2009 movie The Informant!, Matt Damon revealed that Soderbergh offered him a role at a time when no one else was and that he accidentally saved the Interstellar actor’s career.

“Well, Steven Soderbergh asked me, and incidentally asked me to do it at a time in my career when it looked like I was going that way [motions downward]. The Bourne Identity hadn’t come out, I’d had a bunch of bombs. Steven called me, and I remember he told me about it and I didn’t realize he was offering me to star in it because nobody had offered me a job in a while.” 

As per the talk, Damon was so confused that he thought Steven Soderbergh wanted him to write the script of the movie rather than star in it. The film wasn’t made without sacrifices since Damon revealed that he had to gain a lot of body weight for his role.

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Matt Damon Loves Hamburgers, Pizza, and Dark Beer!

Matt Damon as Leslie Groves in Oppenheimer (2023).
Matt Damon as Leslie Groves in Oppenheimer (2023).

Related: “It’s actually true”: Matt Damon Will Leave Hollywood Because of the Promise to His Wife Luciana Barroso But Only One Thing Can Stop Him

Portraying the role of an industrialist-turned-whistleblower, Matt Damon starred as Mark Whitacre in The Informant! Since his character is a little overweight, the actor had to start prepping for his role months before filming began.

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As per film trivia, the actor had a diet of pizza, hamburgers, and a lot of dark beer. After the film’s success, the actor recalled his diet and stated that it was “really, really, really fun”. The Informant! received a rating of 6.5/10 on IMDB and 79% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Informant! starring Matt Damon is available to rent on Apple TV+.

Source: YouTube

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Written by Visarg Acharya

Articles Published: 2038

Visarg Acharya, Associate Content Writer, has been heavily involved in movies, series, and history. Having an experience of 2 years in the field of content writing, Visarg is a seasoned writer. Having a degree in Physics, Visarg Acharya has published a dissertation alongside a plethora of poems and short stories along the way.