James Cameron denies Matt Damon turned down biggest payday in acting history for Avatar
James Cameron is clearing things up after Matt Damon claimed he'd missed out on the biggest pay cheque in acting history.
Back in 2019, Damon said in an interview with British GQ that he had been offered the role of Jake Sully in the original 2009 blockbuster, claiming that he had been offered 10 percent of the profits if he took on the role.
As fans of the ever-growing franchise know, the first film was a massive success, grossing $2.9 billion at the box office. This would mean that Damon missed out on a massive $250 million payday. The role instead went to Sam Worthington.
This claim has understandably become a viral talking point among film fans ever since, and with the arrival of more Avatar films, including the new film Avatar: Fire and Ash, it’s receiving renewed attention.
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However, all is not what it seems and Cameron has come out and clarified some things.
“There was never a deal,” Cameron told The Hollywood Reporter. “We never talked about the character.”
Well, this is awkward.
“He was never offered the part,” Cameron said. “I can’t remember if I sent him the script or not. I don’t think I did?
"Then we wound up on a call and he said, ‘I love to explore doing a movie with you. I have a lot of respect for you as a filmmaker. [Avatar] sounds intriguing.
"But I really have to do this Jason Bourne movie. I’ve agreed to it, it’s a direct conflict, and so, regretfully, I have to turn it down.’”
Cameron clarified: “But he was never offered. There was never a deal. It was simply an availability issue.”
The Titanic director offered an explanation for why there may be some confusion on Damon’s end.
He said: “Now what he’s done is he’s extrapolated ‘I get 10 percent of the gross on all my films.’ And if, in his mind, that’s what it would’ve taken for him to do Avatar, then it wouldn’t have happened. Trust me on that."
“So he’s off the hook and doesn’t have to beat himself up anymore,” Cameron playfully adds. “Matt, it’s okay, buddy! You didn’t miss anything.”
It doesn’t sound like there’s any bad blood between Damon and Cameron, with the iconic director saying that turning down the role because he was attached to do another project was the ‘ethical’ move.
Cameron said: “He felt compelled to call me personally and tell me; he said he didn’t want it to come from the agent — that’s an honorable guy.
“So all respect to Matt. I’d love to work with him someday. But that never happened. It was a conflation of different things that were happening.”
LADbible has approached Damon’s representatives for comment.
Topics: Film, TV and Film, Matt Damon, Celebrity
Gregory Robinson