Matt Damon, Robin role, Batman auditions, Hollywood history (Photo Credit – Facebook)
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Imagine Matt Damon as Robin. Wild, right? Well, it almost happened—twice. Chatting on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Damon spilled the tea about auditioning for the Boy Wonder role in Batman. First up? Tim Burton’s iconic 1989 flick. Then, Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever in 1995. Spoiler: he didn’t get it, but the stories? Pure gold.
“There’s two stories there,” Damon laughed. First attempt? Circa 1987 or 1988, when he was a baby-faced 16 or 17. “We didn’t have sides—it wasn’t like you’re reading a scene with Batman. It was so secretive you’re reading another scene from a different movie.” Imagine showing up to a Batman audition without a single Batman line. Peak Hollywood secrecy, right?
Round two came in 1993, when Damon got another shot at Robin, this time for Batman Forever. But, as he puts it, “Chris O’Donnell already had the part, but they were haggling over money.” The studio brought Damon in for a screen test—basically as leverage. “The studio was flexing by flying in two other people to screen test. They wanted Chris, but they just wanted him for a price. I remember at that stage in my career, you would go in and read, even if you knew you wouldn’t get the part.”
Chris O’Donnell ultimately donned the tights and played Robin in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. And honestly? Those campy flicks didn’t do much for anyone’s resume.
For Damon, missing out turned into a win. Imagine if he’d been stuck in the Batman franchise during its low-key awkward years. Instead, he co-wrote Good Will Hunting, snagged an Oscar, and crushed roles in Saving Private Ryan and The Bourne Identity. Not bad for a guy who almost spent his prime fighting crime in spandex.
Oh, and the Batman connection doesn’t end there. Damon was later tapped to play Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight. Scheduling conflicts kept him out, and Aaron Eckhart stepped in. But can you picture Damon as Two-Face in Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece? Totally could’ve worked.
These days, Damon’s doing just fine. The guy’s a Hollywood heavyweight from Ford v Ferrari to The Last Duel—Dude’s got range.
So yeah, Damon as Robin is one of those “what ifs” that’s fun. Would he have crushed it? Probably. But considering how everything turned out, skipping the Boy Wonder role was clearly the right move.
