Matt Damon has done well for himself, but even he is plagued with occasional what-ifs.
"I was offered a little movie called Avatar," Damon told those present at a Cannes Film Festival masterclass over the weekend, according to Deadline. "James Cameron offered me 10 percent of it. I will go down in history ... you will never meet an actor who turned down more money."
Avatar made its world-beating debut in December 2009. What could have been Damon's leading role of Jake Sully went to Sam Worthington. The iconic sci-fi blockbuster went on to earn nine Oscar nominations and took three victories home. In March, Cameron's masterpiece reclaimed the top spot as the world's all-time highest-grossing film with $2.8 billion under its belt.
Deadline relayed that Damon's reason for passing on Avatar was "because he was shooting the Jason Bourne movies and took the 'moral' decision not [to] leave that franchise in the lurch."
The Oscar winner need not dwell on the past, though, as Stillwater received a five-minute ovation after premiering at Cannes last week:
Matt Damon is brought to tears at the #Cannes2021 standing ovation for ‘Stillwater.’ pic.twitter.com/phpK2mOJT1
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) July 8, 2021
Matt Damon says he felt "a little overwhelmed" by his return to the Cannes Film Festival for the premiere of his thriller "Stillwater." pic.twitter.com/u5nHcCw1D6
— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) July 9, 2021
Stillwater stars Damon as Bill Baker, an Oklahoman whose love and loyalty for his estranged daughter (Abigail Breslin) takes him all the way to France when she needs help to be exonerated from a murder she insists she didn't commit. Directed by Tom McCarthy, the crime drama will hit theaters July 30.
Watch the trailer below.
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