Matt Damon would have made $ 250 million with “Avatar” – and turned it down
Actor
“The dumbest thing an actor has ever done”: Matt Damon mourns after millions role
Matt Damon missed the biggest success of his career with “Avatar”.
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A lot of money slipped through Matt Damon’s rags: the Hollywood star should have starred in “Avatar” and would have shared in the revenue. He refused. “Avatar” became the highest-grossing film in history – and Damon is still annoyed.
Matt Damon has had a great Hollywood career and certainly not badly earned it: he received the Oscar for Best Screenplay in 1998 together with his friend Ben Affleck for the film “Good Will Hunting” and was also responsible for his role in the film for another award nominated. Appearances in many other successful films followed – including three Oscar nominations over the years.
However, the career of Matt Damon could have been a whole lot more successful if he hadn’t turned down a certain role offer a few years ago. He could have starred in the 2009 sci-fi film Avatar. He was offered ten percent of the box office as a fee, he told “Entertainment Tonight”. Damon declined at the time. A decision he still regrets today.
Matt Damon turned down role in ‘Avatar’
“It’s the dumbest thing an actor has ever done in the history of acting,” said the 52-year-old. Because the strip by director James Cameron became an absolute hit at the box office, and to this day it is the most commercially successful film in cinema history. By canceling his engagement, Matt Damon lost $250 million. At the time, he preferred to direct another film in his Bourne series.
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Damon still mourns this role. “I’ve probably done 50 films. I’ve never been in a film that made a billion dollars,” he lamented in the double interview with fellow actress Zoe Saldana. Saldana does better then: She accepted for “Avatar” and played the role of Neytiri, a member of the species Na’vi, in the film. “I’m not Matt Damon, I can’t turn down ‘Avatar’,” Saldana joked, consoling her colleague: “It didn’t hurt your career.”
Also director JamesCameron tried to comfort Damon. “He’s freaking out about it,” Cameron told the BBC in December. “And I’m like, Matt, you’re one of the biggest movie stars in the world, get over it.” Sam Worthington, who also stars in the sequel “Avatar: The Way of Water,” took on the role originally intended for Damon. However, Worthington did not receive such a high share of the proceeds as was offered to Damon.
Sources: “Entertainment Tonight” / BBC
