American actor Matt Damon is widely known for his diverse filmography and excellent acting skills. A very unique film that Damon and his lifelong friend Ben Affleck co-wrote propelled the actor to fame. One of Matt Damon’s most highly regarded acting performances is the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Over the years, the actor has starred in many blockbuster movies, the most recent being Christopher Nolan’s biographical thriller Oppenheimer. Despite being one of the biggest names in Hollywood, the 52-year-old hasn’t always gotten what he wanted. Matt Damon’s request was turned down by two great directors when he worked with them on a film.
Matt Damon’s request was rejected by two renowned directors
Matt Damon is one of the most admired and well-known actors in Hollywood. He is renowned for his ability to play a variety of roles. He has a fruitful acting career and has won numerous honors and awards. Despite being a famous figure in the industry, Damon’s request was rejected by two renowned directors when he worked with them.
The Good Will Hunting star worked with Steven Spielberg on Saving Private Ryan, and it was the time he made the mistake for first. The 52-year-old revealed,
“I remember when I was doing Saving Private Ryan there was a scene with a couple of guys, and Spielberg moved on. He was marching off… and I said, ‘Steven don’t you think we should have done a couple more takes of that thing?’ because it hadn’t been great.”
Spielberg turned down the actor’s request and called him out for wasting time on a particular scene.
The Air star repeated the same mistake ten years later when he worked with Clint Eastwood. The actor explained what went down while shooting the movie Invictus. He explained how he was terrified of playing a South African in the film and ace the accent. Damon said,
“On day one of shooting we did the first take, it went pretty well. Clint says, ‘Cut, print, check the gate,’ which means, ‘We’re done here. Let’s move on.’”
Not learning from his experience with Spielberg, The Martian star asked Eastwood for one more take. Damon, recalling the filmmaker’s reply added,
“‘Why? Do you want to waste everybody’s time?’ I was like, ‘OK, we’re done! Let’s move on.’”
In two different instances, Damon asked Eastwood and Spielberg, two of the greatest film directors of all time, to redo a take when it wasn’t necessary, and both of them turned him down for the same reason for wasting time. Matt Damon had to learn the lesson of giving the best in one take the hard way.
A look into Matt Damon’s acting career
Matt Damon began his acting career in the 1988 film Mystic Pizza and rose to stardom in 1997 when he and Ben Affleck, wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting. Damon participated in multiple high school theatre productions while attending Cambridge Alternative School and Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.
The 52-year-old starred in two incredibly successful film series. In the Ocean‘s trilogy, he played one of several con artists who band together. He was also part of the Jason Bourne series for the portrayal of an amnesiac U.S.-trained assassin trying to unravel the secrets of his past.
In 2015, this talented artist won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie The Martian. The screenwriter collaborated with his best pal Affleck on the sports drama Air (2023).
Matt Damon’s latest portrayal of U.S. General Leslie Groves, the governmental leader of the Manhattan Project, in Nolan’s historical epic Oppenheimer was praised by fans.