It never gets old reading about famous actors that turned down major roles that would have altered film history. Most of the time, they’re interesting footnotes and “What if?” situations that are fun to imagine. However, perhaps none of those stories hold a candle to Matt Damon’s experience almost acting in “Avatar,” when it comes to the sheer amount of money he ended up turning down.
Speaking at a Cannes Masterclass (via Deadline), Matt Damon talked about one of the biggest roles that he has ever been offered and why he turned it down. Specifically, the actor explained how James Cameron not only offered him the lead role in “Avatar,” but the filmmaker was willing to give Damon 10% of the profit. (For those unaware, “Avatar” is the highest-grossing film of all time, earning approximately $2.85 billion worldwide.)
“I was offered a little movie called ‘Avatar,’ James Cameron offered me 10% of it,” Damon said. “I will go down in history… you will never meet an actor who turned down more money.”
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What would motivate Matt Damon to turn down “Avatar” and potentially the biggest payday of his career? Well, according to the actor, he made the “moral” decision because he wanted to stick around and do the Jason Bourne franchise and not leave those folks without their super-spy star.
In a move that didn’t cost Damon nearly as much money, the actor explained that he was originally interested in directing and starring in the acclaimed feature, “Manchester By The Sea.” However, when he read the script from Kenneth Lonergan, he knew right away the screenwriter had to direct it himself.
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Then, when it came to starring in the film, the scheduling ended up conflicting with “The Martian,” so Damon had to pass on that as well. And in his place, he knew exactly which actor it should be.
“The only person I would ever give the role to was Casey [Affleck],” he explained. Of course, Affleck would go on to earn near-universal acclaim for the performance, landing him the Oscar for Best Actor that year.
So, if you’re a pessimist, you could argue that Damon not only turned down the biggest payday of his career but also a chance at a Best Actor Oscar. But obviously, we can’t shed tears for Damon, as he’s still one of the biggest names in Hollywood and is doing just fine for himself.
