Matt Damon was given an incredible ultimatum after he turned down the highest amount of money any actor would have received for a role.
Look, I know what you’re thinking, Hollywood stars are already paid whopper amounts for the biggest films, so what exactly could he have refused?
Well, only one of the biggest of all time, Avatar.
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Even film stars make mistakes it seems as Damon passed up on the offer to star in James Cameron’s 2009 masterpiece.
The movie of course ended up starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana who returned to the world back in 2022 for Avatar: The Way of Water.
And in the run up to that, Damon revealed he had been offered a role himself in the ‘little movie called Avatar’ as well as 10 percent of its earnings.
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However, the Oppenheimer actor was tied up with his commitments to the Jason Bourne franchise so turned it down – along with the approximate $250 million (£197m) pay.
He added: “I will go down in history… you will never meet an actor who turned down more money.”
And in an interview with the BBC, Cameron offered up a bit of an ultimatum for if Damon did end up finally in an Avatar film.
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The director had already shared plans for at least three additional sequels beyond The Way of Water and he was asked if the star would be considered for a role.
Cameron said it definitely could happen but has a change to his original offer.
“Must do it, we have to do it so the world is in equilibrium again," he said, although there is one caveat: "He doesn’t get 10 percent, f*ck that."
Well, that’s a lesson for Damon, don’t turn down a first offer from Cameron.
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The director went on to say of the rejection all those years ago: “He’s beating himself up over this. And I really think you know, ‘Matt you’re kind of like one of the biggest movie stars in the world, get over it.’
"But he had to do another Bourne film which was on his runway and there was nothing we could do about that. So he had to regretfully decline."
I mean, from Damon’s previous credits since the 2009 hit, it doesn’t seem like he’s exactly been missing out on cash but the ‘what if’ probably gave a long-lasting sting.
Topics: Matt Damon, Film, TV and Film, Celebrity, Money
Jess Battison