Matt Damon may live a high-flying life of luxury in Hollywood, but when in Australia he’s more than happy to slum it with us regular folk in economy class.
On Monday afternoon, the actor and his wife, Luciana Barroso, were seen joining locals board a commercial Virgin Australia flight from Sydney to Ballina.
Ironically, The Bourne Identity star was accompanied by a group of friends among which included Aussie businessman Paul O’Brien, who is the founder of AVMIN, an Australian-based aviation service provider specialising in private jet charters.
Still, there was no Hollywood VIP treatment or celebrity fanfare for Damon, who was casually dressed in a chequered shirt, dark jeans and black sunglasses, as he waited in line before wheeling his own luggage along to the check-in counter.
It was the same story at Ballina Airport, with the 55-year-old seen disembarking like every other passenger.
Just days prior, Damon added some Hollywood spice to Sydney’s biggest race day, stepping out at Rosehill Gardens for the 70th TAB Golden Slipper on Saturday.
Unlike his airport outing, the actor was dressed to the nines in an M.J. Bale suit and tie where he joined Aussie actor Luke Hemsworth in a private area hosted by Arrowfield Stud owner John Messara and son Paul.
The actor has quietly built a connection to Australian racing, owning stakes in racehorse Are You Kidding, trained by Leah Gavranich. The horse was expected to run at Rosehill on Golden Slipper Day before being scratched earlier in the week.
Indeed, Damon is no stranger to Australia – he has spent extended periods here with his family and formed close friendships with fellow actors Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky, who are based in Bryon Bay just a short drive from Ballina.
Damon has also been a familiar face at local events, including AFL matches, and he was even seen at the Queensland agricultural show at the Ekka back in 2023 with his wife and daughters, Isabella, 19, Gia, 17 and Stella, 15.
“I love it here. This is our second year in a row coming here,” he said in a video shared on the event’s X page at the time.
“It’s turned into a family tradition so thanks for having us back. Shout out to everyone at the Ekka, you guys do a great job.”
In a previous interview with news.com.au, Damon revealed the deeply personal reason why he first chose Australia as a travel destination back in 2018 after the death of his beloved father the year prior.
“After my dad died, we moved down [to Australia] for four months and just went and camped all over the place,” Damon told us. “And just … I think because maybe he had never been, and it just felt like a place to go to make memories with my kids.”
“Then every year we would return, even back during the pandemic. We were down there for about six months, and it’s just like a second home to us.
“We just love it and we love the people and everything about it.”
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