Matt Damon had turned down Avatar ( Photo Credit – Wikimedia )
Advertisement
Damon did not just pass any role—he passed on a deal that would’ve handed him a 10% cut of the box office. Do the math, and that’s a cool $250 million left on the table. “I’ve left more money on the table than any actor,” Damon casually admitted. Yeah, understatement of the century.
So why’d he bail? Damon spilled the beans to Chris Wallace, explaining how he was knee-deep in shooting another Jason Bourne movie at the time. “I had a contract,” Damon said. “I would’ve had to leave early and leave them in the lurch.” The guy’s loyal, if nothing else. Plus, he really wanted to work with Cameron—Hollywood’s king of epic blockbusters—but he just couldn’t bring himself to ditch his team.
This isn’t the first time Damon’s mentioned his $250M whoopsie. He once shared the story with John Krasinski, and let’s just say, Krasinski wasn’t subtle. “He launches out of his chair and says, ‘Nothing in your life would be different except we’d be having this conversation in space.’” Gotta love Krasinski keeping it real.
Meanwhile, James Cameron? He’s not sweating it. When Cameron was asked about Damon passing on Avatar, he just couldn’t help but laugh. “Matt, you’re one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Get over it,” he alluded to the BBC with a laugh.
But here’s where it gets fun—Cameron hinted at a possible Damon cameo in a future Avatar sequel. The catch? “He doesn’t get 10%, f**k that,” Cameron joked.
Matt Damon’s other film choices: From Elysium to The Martian, Watch His Sci-Fi Reign on Max
Matt Damon’s $630M sci-fi smash Elysium just landed on Max, and if you’re craving a follow-up to Interstellar, this is your go-to flick. In 2013, Damon swapped his Boston charm for a high-tech thrill ride in Elysium, directed by Neill Blomkamp, kicking off his epic sci-fi streak.
But the space adventure didn’t end there. He pulled a surprise cameo in Interstellar and then rocked Ridley Scott’s The Martian. Talk about a space triple threat! The Martian was a critical darling, with Damon delivering a performance that had us laughing and crying—seriously, who knew growing potatoes could be so intense?
Despite its 91% Certified Fresh rating and seven Oscar nods, including Best Actor for Damon, The Martian didn’t snag any gold. Ridley Scott, famed for Alien and Blade Runner, kept things light in this space adventure. If you’re craving some top-notch Damon sci-fi, hit play on Elysium and get ready for lift-off.
