Matt Damon: One of the most bankable and loved actors

This Gen-X celebrity is one who doesn’t take himself too seriously, being both prolific and highly underrated at the same time. It’s all part of his appeal.

There’s something about Matt Damon 

In July 2007, when Matthew Paige Damon became the 2 343rd person to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he commented: “A few times in my life, I’ve had these experiences that are just kind of too big to process. And this looks like it’s going to be one of these times.” Humble, handsome, with a boy-next-door grin, the actor has, in fact, just turned 50.

In the film industry, a “bankable” star refers to an actor famous or charismatic enough to guarantee box office success just by making an appearance in a film. Others of this ilk include George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Leonardo Di Caprio, Liam Neeson and Margot Robbie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, there are only really about 10, or maximum 12, bankable stars any one time. And American business publication Forbes, has placed Matt Damon in this impressive “most bankable” category. Crediting his drama teacher Gerry Speca as an important artistic influence in his life, few of his friends in drama class back then may have imagined Damon in Ocean’s Eleven – his close friend and schoolmate Ben Afflect apparently got all the “biggest roles and longest speeches”.

Finding his feet

Tough childhood experiences included his parent’s divorce and his mother’s “by the book” approach to parenting – she was an early childhood education professor. But both Matt, and his brother Kyle, managed to overcome these rigid or identity-blurring influences to find their feet in the arts – Kyle as a sculptor, and Matt in acting, producing and screenwriting.

As of June 2020, Damon’s estimated net worth is $170 million, which is very close to that of his long-time friend Affleck, at $150 million. Their closeness stems from early days when a 5ft2 Affleck came to a 5ft3 Damon’s rescue in a fight against a really big, strong freshman dude – literally at the risk of Affleck’s own life. They went on to write the screenplay for Good Will Hunting together, in which they both starred, providing the breakthrough they needed to become household names and setting them on the path towards international acting fame. Keen to know which awards they received for this movie? In combination, they won the Academy and Golden Globe awards for Best Screenplay, while Damon also earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. It was 1997 and they were all of 27 years old at the time.

Loaded

Before we get into Damon’s supreme likeability and extreme talent as an actor, let’s look at his top five highest grossing movies at the box office to date. Big time on the money, these are: 2015’s The Martian ($228 433 663), 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum ($227 471 070), 1998’s Saving Private Ryan ($216 540 909), 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven ($183 417 150) and 2004’s The Bourne Supremacy ($176 241 941). If you missed any one of these, you know what to scan for this eve on Netflix or Showmax.

Charity begins at home

A definite contribution to his likeability is the extent to which Matt has dedicated his time and intelligence towards a range of charities, including worthy campaigns for H20 Africa Foundation, Feeding America, Water.org and ONE Campaign. In opposition to celebrities who attempt to ask fans for donations and support for causes, while trading on their fame and not a deep knowledge of the issue at hand, Damon has been described by Fast Company magazine as “the thinking person’s celebrity do-gooder”. Damon’s approach is to appeal to logic, not emotion; to uncover real problems and find simple solutions. He says of Water.org, as just one example, “If you want to understand… there is no substitute for going there [i.e. to Africa] and talking to people in their homes.”

With film roles, screenplays and production efforts too many to mention, a few of Matt Damon’s classic lines come from the likes of Rounders (“Listen, here’s the thing. If you can’t spot the sucker in your first half-hour at the table, then you are the sucker”); from The Departed (Yeah, go ahead. Shoot a cop, Einstein. Watch what happens!”); from The Martian (“I’m gonna have to science the shit out of this” and “In your face, Neil Armstrong”); and from The Talented Mr Ripley (“I always thought it’d be better to be a fake somebody … than a real nobody”).

Grateful heart

This man has a classic sense of humour and a twinkle in his eye – just watch him in action on a talk show, such as The Ellen Show where he chats about one of his latest movies, The Adjustment Bureau. “It was the diet that was the hardest part. I just remember not being able to eat anything. And the workouts… I really committed to it – it’s either go hard or go home.” Ellen responds that this attitude is why he is “the sexiest man alive”, according to People Magazine. He tells Ellen that he finds himself not harbouring grudges against previous partners, or shoving that accolade in anyone’s face, as he is “so happy now, so lucky” – which few celebrities would reveal so openly. “I hit the jackpot with my wife [Luciana Bozán Barroso, whom he married in 2005], so I just feel like, romantically, I’m done.”

Fortunately, though, Damon’s acting career is in no way over. The Last Duel, a period drama set in 14th-century France, is scheduled for release next year, while the acronym “TBC” says it best as regards the release dates of two others – Stillwater and No Sudden Move. In fact, the best may be yet to come.