Matt Damon Passed on a Dream Role That Won an Oscar
Matt Damon once had to walk away from a role he called the best he'd seen in 20 years—a part that later earned his close friend Casey Affleck an Academy Award. Discover the story behind this career-defining decision.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have long been Hollywood ’s dynamic duo, but their Oscar tallies could have looked very different if fate hadn’t intervened. Damon, who’s been nominated for acting’s top prize three times, once had to step aside from a role that would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Despite sharing a Best Original Screenplay win with Affleck for Good Will Hunting, Damon has never snagged an acting Oscar himself.
Missing out on such a coveted part stung even more because it was a project close to his heart. Damon was deeply involved from the start, helping to shape the film’s direction and even holding the final say on its cut. The idea for Manchester by the Sea was born from conversations between Damon and John Krasinski, who brought the concept to Kenneth Lonergan. Originally, Damon was set to direct and star, but after years of script development and Krasinski’s exit, Damon planned to take on the lead role of Lee Chandler, with Lonergan directing.
Unavoidable Commitments and a Tough Decision
However, a packed schedule made it impossible for Damon to take the part. With filming for The Martian, Jason Bourne, and The Great Wall all lined up, he simply couldn’t make the timing work. Still, he stayed on as a producer, and Lonergan’s previous challenges with Margaret meant Damon retained significant creative control.
Faced with the disappointment of stepping away, Damon turned to someone he trusted completely.
“That was the best role that I’d seen in maybe 20 years,”
he told Parade.
“But I couldn’t do it because I had The Martian and a big spate of work lined up. I told Kenny, ‘The only person in the world that I will give this role to is Casey’, because he was the only person who could do it the way it deserved to be done.”
Passing the Torch to Casey Affleck
As a producer, Damon had the authority to make the call, and he chose to hand the role to his longtime friend Casey Affleck. It was a decision rooted in both trust and admiration.
“He’s one of the best actors in the world,”
Damon said of Affleck.
“And he has been for a very long time.”
While The Martian became a box office hit and earned plenty of accolades, Damon couldn’t help but wonder what might have been as he watched Affleck accept the Best Actor Oscar. The role had always been one he’d envisioned for himself, making the moment bittersweet despite his pride in his friend’s achievement.