Was Matt Damon depressed due to the failure of a movie he worked hard on? (Photo Credit – Facebook)
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On Jake’s Takes, Matt Damon opened up about the struggles of powering through a production when you already know things aren’t going as planned. “Sometimes you find yourself in a movie that you know, perhaps, might not be what you had hoped it would be,” Damon admitted. “And I remember halfway through production, knowing I still had months to go.”
He recalled the emotional toll it took on him and his family, sharing that his wife, Luciana Barroso, had to pull him out of his slump. “I remember my wife pulling me up because I fell into a depression about like, what have I done?” he said. Despite the uncertainty, Damon pushed through, embracing the professional mindset: giving everything on set, no matter the outcome. He credited Barroso with reminding him that being a true pro means showing up, even when the movie isn’t going to be a winner.
But Damon didn’t let the bad experience defeat him. Instead, it inspired him to take control of his career. In 2022, he co-founded the production company Artists Equity with longtime collaborator Ben Affleck. Their first project together, Air, hit theaters earlier this year, with Damon starring and Affleck directing. And Damon is far from slowing down. He’s also appearing in Ethan Coen’s Drive-Away Dolls alongside a star-studded cast including Margaret Qualley and Pedro Pascal.
Meanwhile, Damon’s Oppenheimer co-star, Robert Downey Jr., also reflected on a career low of his own: the disastrous Dolittle (2020). After finishing his Marvel run, Downey quickly jumped into a role he now admits was a mistake. “I had some reservations,” he confessed, recalling how the movie, which promised to be a big franchise, ended up being a critical flop. Downey even joked that he was “bulletproof” at the time, but Dolittle changed that perception fast.
Downey went on to explain how the film’s failure forced him and his wife, producer Susan Downey, to reevaluate everything. “The stress it put on my missus was shocking,” he said. But the flop led to a major reset, as the couple restructured their business approach and sought out new advisers.
Both Damon and Downey have shown that even after the biggest successes. But they’ve both bounced back, using those setbacks to fuel their next moves. It’s a reminder that Hollywood isn’t all red carpets and blockbusters. The real pros? They know how to push through, learn from the lows, and come out even stronger on the other side.
