The biggest outrage in Oscars history, according to Matt Damon: “There’s nothing you can do”
Even though they’ve basically been joined at the hip for 40 years, does Matt Damon ever find himself lying awake at night, secretly jealous that Ben Affleck has won more Academy Awards than him?
Not only does Affleck have twice as many Oscars as his lifelong best friend, but he’s also one of the few multiple winners who boast a 100% success rate. His ‘Best Original Screenplay’ victory for Good Will Hunting and ‘Best Picture’ prize for Argo made him two-for-two, but he’s never been shortlisted for his acting.
Damon has, though. Three times, for Good Will Hunting, Invictus, and The Martian. Most people would probably agree that, in terms of acting ability, he’s always been better than his platonic life partner, but neither of them were involved in the outrageous oversight that befell another member of his inner circle.
There are only so many Oscars to go around every year, and with the acting categories refusing to join ‘Best Picture’ in expanding the field to anywhere up to ten nominees, it’s a cutthroat world. Only 20 performances make the shortlist, and the one Damon couldn’t believe wasn’t even nominated realistically stood no chance whatsoever of troubling the Academy.
He was trying to make a point about how someone being ridiculously famous can see the notion of celebrity confused with the profession of acting, but still, he went to bat a little too hard for Brad Pitt. “He’s the biggest star in the world, and he’s easily one of the most underrated actors,” he informed GQ, which kind of tracks because he’s always been a better actor than he used to be given credit for.
However, he took things several steps too far with his bold proclamation. “He should have won an Oscar for Snatch,” Damon declared. “But there’s nothing you can do about it.” Should Brad Pitt, two-time winner and seven-time nominee, have been in the running for Oscars gold for his turn as Mickey O’Neil in Guy Ritchie’s crime caper? No, don’t be ridiculous.
Is it a good performance? Yes. Is it a scene-stealing performance? Yes. Is it an Oscar-worthy performance? Nope. Did any other major awards bodies recognise Pitt for his intentionally indecipherable tour de force? Also no. What about the minor ones? Again, no. Fair fucks to Damon for sticking up for his pal, but he could have picked another role that didn’t get its flowers.
Since he was billed fourth in the cast and wasn’t the main character, let’s assume Damon was adamant he should have won ‘Best Supporting Actor’ at the Oscars that year. Benicio del Toro won for Traffic, with the rest of the field rounded out by Gladiator‘s Joaquin Phoenix, The Contender‘s Jeff Bridges, Shadow of the Vampire‘s Willem Dafoe, and Erin Brockovich‘s Albert Finney.
Was Pitt’s performance in Snatch deserving of knocking any of those five from their perch? The Golden Globes would definitely disagree, since it nominated the exact same quintet. It’s one of his most memorable onscreen outings, sure, but Damon saying it shouldn’t only have been nominated for an Oscar but won the damn thing stretched the limits of credulity.
