The Matt Damon performance that made Denzel Washington ‘raise his game’
Throughout his illustrious career, Denzel Washington has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the film industry. Ranging from his brilliant work in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X to his iconic outing in Training Day, Washington’s filmography is full of projects where his dedication to his craft is demonstrated to great effect. However, there’s one particular production where he had to push himself to be better because of Matt Damon.
Titled Courage Under Fire, Edward Zwick’s 1996 war drama features Washington and Meg Ryan. It revolves around the trials and tribulations of a military officer who has to confront his fatal errors while evaluating a fallen comrade’s claim on the Medal of Honour. Damon stars as Specialist Andrew Ilario, who helps Washington’s character piece together the reality of an event that was deliberately obfuscated by multiple sources.
While Washington can hold his own with almost anyone he has ever worked with, that wasn’t necessarily the case when it came to Courage Under Fire. During a scene where he had to act alongside Damon, Washington was taken aback by the young actor’s focus and talent, which made him reconsider his own approach to the movie.
During an interview with Yahoo, director Zwick revealed how shocked Washington was after he completed his first scene with Damon. The filmmaker said: “Denzel came to work, and he hadn’t met [Matt]… They did this first scene together, and after we finished Matt’s side of the close-up and turned the camera around to go to Denzel, he leaned over and whispered to me: ‘Man, I think I better raise my game — this kid is good!'”
Damon didn’t just bring his A-game when it came to acting; he also pushed his physical limitations for the role. According to the actor, he followed an extremely strict diet, which actually worried the people close to him. Determined to fulfil the image he had of his character, Damon’s unsupervised actions could have had permanent medical consequences.
While recalling his harsh process, Damon admitted: “When I stuck to it, people got worried. ‘You have to eat, you have to be fit, you really have to be prepared.’ And I refused to do so. ‘Why eat? I’ve come this far, I’m not going to stop now’… I had to be thin and went on an unsupervised diet, which could have killed me. A doctor told me later I could have shrunk my heart permanently.”
Watch the trailer below.
