Matt Damon Reveals Which Film Almost Destroyed His Career

Before Matt Damon became a household name, he was already spending a lot of time writing screenplays. His breakout role in Good Will Hunting started as a project he developed in school with his friend Ben Affleck.

They eventually brought the story to the big screen, and once Robin Williams joined the cast, the movie fell into place. It went on to win an Oscar for Best Screenplay and launched Damon into stardom, leading to roles in films like The Talented Mr. Ripley and Saving Private Ryan.

When Damon was offered the role of Jason Bourne in the adaptation of the popular book series, he didn’t have big expectations for the franchise. He told GQ, “When I signed up for the first one, I signed up for just one. It was like, if the first one works, you have to do two more. I don’t think anyone thought it would work, so they were like, ‘one’s fine.’”

The first Bourne movie ended up doing far better than anyone expected, and Damon returned to play the amnesiac agent in the sequels. While he enjoyed working on the first few films, he admitted that he had serious doubts when he saw the first draft of The Bourne Ultimatum by writer Tony Gilroy.

Universal Studios had given Gilroy a large fee before the script was finished, and he handed in one of his early drafts as the final version. Damon recalled his first reaction in an interview with GQ:

“I don’t blame Tony for taking a boatload of money and handing in what he handed in. It’s just that it was unreadable. This is a career-ender. I mean, I could put this thing up on eBay, and it would be game over for that dude. It’s terrible. It’s really embarrassing. He was having a go, basically, and he took his money and left.”

Despite his initial horror, Damon said that later tweaks and changes helped make the film a satisfying conclusion to the series, giving Bourne a proper ending. Damon eventually apologized to Gilroy for his harsh comments.

“If I didn’t respect him and appreciate his talent, then I really wouldn’t have cared. My feelings were hurt. That’s all. And that’s exactly why I shouldn’t have said anything. This is between me and him. So saying anything publicly is f**** stupid and unprofessional and just kind of douchey of me,” he told GQ. Looking back, Damon’s story shows how even a successful actor can face moments of doubt, and how the process of making movies is rarely as smooth as it looks on screen.  

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