Even more than a decade later, Matt Damon still blames himself for refusing a role in James Cameron’s “Avatar”. The actor spoke with “Avatar” actress Zoe Saldana and said it was “the dumbest thing an actor has ever done.”
Damon also praised Saldana for appearing in several movies that grossed over $2 billion at the box office. The actor came closest to $1 billion in a movie was “Interstellar,” which grossed $673 million. Cameron himself said he consoled Damon for the decision, which cost him 10% of the film’s profits.
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Matt Damon says his rejection was the ‘dumbest thing’
Matt Damon recently had an interview with entertainment tonight for a Stella Artois promotional campaign with “Avatar” star Zoe Saldana. During their conversation, Damon said his decision to turn down a role in 2009’s “Avatar” was the “dumbest thing an actor has ever done in theater history.”
The 52-year-old would have earned around $250 million if he had played the role of Jake Sully, who Sam Worthington eventually played. Saldana, who played the role of Neytiri, tried to reassure Damon, saying, “I don’t think your career suffered from it, believe me.”
However, the ‘Good Will Hunting’ star refused to stop moping about the loss. He asked, “Do you know what kind of movie it would have been if I had been in it?” Along with Worthington and Saldana, “Avatar” grossed around $2.9 billion.
“I’ve never been in a movie that made $1 billion.”
During their conversation, Damon also praised Saldana for her involvement in several films grossing over $2 billion. That includes the original “Avatar,” its sequel, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” and Avengers movies like “Infinity War” and “Endgame.”
Saldana said: “I hadn’t expected it, believe me – I always felt blessed to have been chosen, to have worked hard and to have auditioned. I’m not Matt Damon. I can’t not turning down Avatars. In response, Damon said, “I’ve probably done 50 movies. I’ve never been in a movie that made $1 billion.
The actor who came closest to grossing a billion dollars in a movie was “Interstellar,” which grossed $673 million at the box office. “The Martian” grossed around $630 million, while films like “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Saving Private Ryan” grossed just under $500 million.
James Cameron tried to console Matt Damon
In a 2022 interview with BBC radio, director James Cameron said he previously consoled Damon for the decision, which cost him 10% of the film’s profits. Cameron said: “He fights for it. And I think you know, ‘Matt, you’re kind of like one of the biggest movie stars in the world; move on.'”
Cameron explained that at the time, Damon “had to do another ‘Bourne’ movie” and was forced to “reluctantly turn down” the “Avatar” role. In a 2019 interview with British GQDamon also reflected on the choice and called it one of his “biggest regrets” as an actor.
He said, by Daily Mail, “James Cameron offered me ‘Avatar.’ And when he offered it to me, he said, ‘Now listen. I don’t need anybody. I don’t need a name for this, a named actor. If you don’t take this, I’ll find an unknown actor and give it to him, because the movie doesn’t need you. But if you take the part, I’ll give you 10 percent.'”
There’s been a big beef on social media regarding the release of “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” on July 21. Given that both films set their release date on the same day, fans have been discussing what will likely increase opening weekend.
Damon recently spoke to vanity lounge about the first war, saying, “It’s the first time I’ve heard of it. I didn’t pay attention to that. The actor further stated that he doesn’t understand the feud because “people are allowed to see two movies over the weekend. ‘Oppenheimer’ is one of them!
Damon is a father of four daughters, so they’ll probably want to watch “Barbie” before “Oppenheimer,” in which their father plays General Leslie Groves. Regarding this debate, he said, “I will have to ask them that. If so, they will see two films this weekend!