Why Matt Damon turned down James Cameron’s “Avatar”

Matt Damon reveals he turned down a role worth USD250 million in the 2009 James Cameron film, “Avatar”.

What would have been one of Damon’s most lucrative movie roles in history ultimately went to leading man Sam Worthington. Now, the Hollywood actor is sharing the reasoning behind his decision at the time.

Damon and Christian Bale, who both star in “Ford v Ferrari,” was recently featured on the cover of the British GQ. In the cover interview, the Oscar winner admitted that he was approached to play Jake Sully in Avatar. The lead role would’ve seen him star alongside Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver.

The actor recalled Cameron telling him at the time:

‘Now, listen. I don’t need anybody. I don’t need a name for this, a named actor. If you don’t take this, I’m gonna find an unknown actor and give it to him, because the movie doesn’t really need you. But if you take the part, I’ll give you 10 percent of…'”

As for how he feels about missing out on the startling amount of money, not to mention starring in an acclaimed blockbuster that made cinematic history, he admits regretting his decision. But it isn’t just the money he missed out on.

Damon explained that accepting the role would’ve put him on bad terms with the team behind The Bourne Ultimatum. However, now he looked back and realized that “I was probably passing on the chance to ever work with him. So that sucked and that’s still brutal.” Cameron is known for making only a handful of films that end up reaching box office greatness.