Matt Damon has become a household name in Hollywood largely due to his acting skill and willingness to try new things. His versatility has been fully displayed in many films, from high-octane blockbusters to heartfelt dramas.
While Damon has had a successful career, he has also passed up opportunities that could have catapulted him to new heights. When offered a role in the video game adaptation of The Bourne Conspiracy, he declined it.
Matt Damon Listens to His Mother
Christian Bale and Steve Zahn starred in Werner Herzog’s 2006 war drama Rescue Dawn, in which they played American POWs in a Vietcong prison. Herzog and Damon talked extensively before the film’s release about the possibility of Damon playing U.S. pilot Dieter Dengler.
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Damon was interested in the film because of its grittiness and the chance to work with the renowned director. However, Damon’s rejection of the part had less to do with the movie than with some sound parental guidance.
While promoting his 2011 film The Adjustment Bureau, Matt Damon revealed that his mother had discouraged him from accepting the role, telling him he was “allowed to have fun.”
“You don’t always have to go into the jungle and lose a bunch of weight, you’re allowed to have fun.”
Damon took his mother’s advice and dropped out of the project to star alongside Greg Kinnear in the lighthearted Farrelly Brothers comedy Stuck on You.
Matt Damon Made Some Smart Decisions
One of Matt Damon’s most memorable performances is that of Jason Bourne in the Bourne films. Damon, however, passed on the opportunity to lend his voice or likeness to the game’s protagonist in 2008’s The Bourne Conspiracy.
Damon’s decision was motivated by his strong moral convictions. The actor worried that playing the game would make children insensitive to violence. His mother’s book on the effects of media violence on children played a role in his final decision.
According to Damon’s interview with the Boston Globe, he concurs with his mother’s viewpoints and acknowledges that “there could be blowback from it.”
“I accept and agree with what she says—that [violence] desensitizes kids, that there could be blowback from it.”
The actor had previously expressed curiosity about a Bourne game but hoped for a puzzle game like Myst rather than a third-person shooter. The outcome was greatly affected by Damon’s decision to sit out of the game.
While the game’s cover art was reminiscent of the Bourne Identity DVD, it did not feature Matt Damon in the lead role. Instead, the character had a bland, unremarkable face. They tried to make it as faithful to the movies as possible, but it was still missing something without Damon’s input.
Source: Boston Globe
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