The only movie that ticked all three of Matt Damon’s must-have boxes: “Usually I’ll settle for any two”
While every actor would love nothing more than to navigate their career adhering to a set of ironclad rules they’ve imposed on themselves, it doesn’t quite work that way. Then again, it does if they become a big enough star to call their own shots, a position Matt Damon has been in for a while.
In terms of modern cinema’s most famous names, he occupies an unusual position. Damon has spent three decades rubbing shoulders with the industry’s most celebrated names on either side of the camera, and his filmography has earned billions at the box office, but he’s never been regarded as one of Hollywood’s elite stars.
He’s definitely up there, but he’s never quite reached the same pedestal as a Harrison Ford, Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, or Leonardo DiCaprio. Not that it was ever his goal, with the Academy Award winner comfortable in his niche as a part-time superstar leading man, part-time versatile character actor, and part-time favour-giver who’ll cameo in just about anything when asked.
When he first started breaking into the business, all he wanted was a job. Once Good Will Hunting got his name out there, Damon began refining his criteria and eventually narrowed his selection process down to three must-have boxes, even though he admitted the trio were very rarely all ticked by the same project.
“Since I’ve been offered movies rather than having to go audition for them, it’s basically just been three things that I look for,” he told IGN. “It’s always a script that I like, a good director, and a good role. And usually, I’ll settle for any two of those. The combination of all three is really hard to come by.”
On the plus side, it wasn’t too long after his breakout film that he found it. In fact, it took him less than two years. “I had all three with a movie like Ripley,” he said. “Like, it was a great script, and a great director, and a really great role. And kind of a different thing I don’t normally get a chance to do.”
Anthony Minghella’s literary adaptation, The Talented Mr Ripley, was unlike anything Damon had ever done before, and he relished the opportunity to make the most of a movie hitting his self-perceived Holy Trinity. He earned a Golden Globe nomination in the ‘Best Actor – Drama’ category for his efforts, although he didn’t factor into the picture’s five Oscar nods.
Still, he was almost a decade and a half into his career when the movie was released in December 1999, and at last, he’d found everything he’s been looking for wrapped up in a neat, tidy, foreboding, suspenseful, twisted, and riveting bow. He’s been chasing the high of The Talented Mr Ripley ever since, having basked in the warm glow of finally going three-for-three on his checklist.
