Despite being famous for nearly all the on-screen projects he has worked on to date, the Bourne film series still ranks as one of Matt Damon’s best works to date. Yet, little do fans know how hard the actor worked for the films besides performing a majority of the stunt scenes in the movies by himself and starring in the breathtaking action sequences. This included following a vigorous training regime just to get the perfect body for the character.
However, the reason behind his grueling workout is even more surprising than the fact that Matt Damon had to intensely train for the film: because The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman wasn’t happy after he pulled up the Good Will Hunting actor’s shirt to identify if his physique was appropriate to play Jason Bourne or not!
Doug Liman Shut Matt Damon Up With ‘Enough Talk’ Remark After Looking At His Body
Also Read: Matt Damon vs Matthew McConaughey Highest Movie Salary Comparison Will Surprise Many Fans
When Matt Damon was initially cast to play Jason Bourne in the Bourne film series, director Doug Liman had no idea how much work he had to do to get the actor in the most perfect shape for the character.
During an interview with ABC News, the Interstellar actor was asked about the same:
“Is this a true story or not a true story: The director had some nerve. When you were getting ready to do The Bourne Identity, the director came to you, lifted up your shirt, and said, ‘Hit the gym.'”
Responding to the question, Damon said:
“Oh, yeah, that’s true, that’s true. Well, we were trying to figure out what the guy should look like and all the work that would go into it. And we decided on this pretty serious regimen of martial arts and boxing and weapons training and all this stuff, and we [were] kind of talking about it, theorizing kind of you know, six months out or something. And he came over and just picked the shirt up and looked at me and it was just enough, ‘OK, enough — you know, enough talk.'”
While most would have been deeply embarrassed and annoyed by the comment, that wasn’t the case with Matt Damon. Instead, he shared how he wasn’t stung one bit by the remark and instead agreed to train hard for the character!
Also Read: 5 Most Intelligent Actors in Hollywood: Does Matt Damon Have a Higher IQ Than Elon Musk?
Matt Damon Had An Elaborate Workout Routine For The Bourne Film Series
Matt Damon was seen in an incredibly fit war machine kinda body throughout his performance as Jason Bourne in the Bourne film series. However, it wasn’t until his grueling training that involved MMA, boxing, and weapons that he acquired the incredible physique that he did.
As per reports, the AIR actor lost a striking 11.3 kg (which is approximately 25 pounds) within three months for The Bourne Identity, i.e. the first film in the Bourne film series. This included working with a personal trainer, following a terribly strict diet, and undergoing a crushing exercise regime in order to achieve his goal.
However, these excruciating procedures to get a body significantly sharper body with larger biceps and sharper traps like that of an MMA fighter through high-intensity, heavy-weight metabolic training programs didn’t stop with The Bourne Identity only. Instead, these went on until his most recent installment from the franchise, Jason Bourne (2016).
Regardless, Matt Damon is indeed an inevitably focused and hardworking actor, willing to cross any and every extreme just to portray his character most perfectly.
