{"id":324233,"date":"2025-12-19T07:39:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T07:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/324233\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T07:39:05","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T07:39:05","slug":"james-cameron-says-matt-damon-was-never-offered-avatar-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/324233\/","title":{"rendered":"James Cameron says Matt Damon was never offered Avatar role"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most fans are aware that Matt Damon turned down the role of Jake Sully<\/a> in James Cameron\u2019s Avatar, with the actor stating that he lost out on a potentially massive amount of money. However, Cameron told THR<\/a> that it isn\u2019t quite how it happened.<\/p>\n

James Cameron says Matt Damon was Never Offered the Avatar Role<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was never offered the part,\u201d Cameron said. \u201cI can\u2019t remember if I sent him the script or not. I don\u2019t think I did? Then we wound up on a call and he said, \u2018I 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\u2019ve agreed to it, it\u2019s a direct conflict, and so, regretfully, I have to turn it down.\u2019 But he was never offered. There was never a deal. We never talked about the character. We never got to that level. It was simply an availability issue.\u201c<\/p>\n

Damon has also claimed Cameron was ready to give him 10% of the gross, which would have amounted to a staggering $290 million on the first movie. He later called it \u201cthe dumbest thing an actor ever did in the history of acting,<\/a>\u201d but Cameron explained he shouldn\u2019t feel too bad because that deal was never going to happen anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow what he\u2019s done is he\u2019s extrapolated \u2018I get 10 percent of the gross on all my films.\u2019 And if, in his mind, that\u2019s what it would\u2019ve taken for him to do Avatar, then it wouldn\u2019t have happened. Trust me on that,\u201d Cameron said. \u201cSo he\u2019s off the hook and doesn\u2019t have to beat himself up anymore. Matt, it\u2019s okay, buddy! You didn\u2019t miss anything.\u201c<\/p>\n

It definitely sucks to realize you\u2019ve missed out on a big chunk of change. It can eat you up a bit if you\u2019re not careful. But Damon can rest a little easier knowing that 10% take was never in the cards. <\/p>\n

Cameron Would Still Like to Work With Damon<\/p>\n

Despite not connecting for Avatar, Cameron said he would still like to work with Damon one day, especially since he thought it was classy of the actor to reach out and turn down the role personally. \u201cHe felt compelled to call me personally and tell me; he said he didn\u2019t want it to come from the agent \u2014 that\u2019s an honorable guy,\u201d Cameron said. \u201cSo all respect to Matt. I\u2019d love to work with him someday. But that never happened. It was a conflation of different things that were happening.\u201c<\/p>\n

Check Out Our Review of Avatar: Fire and Ash<\/p>\n

Avatar: Fire and Ash will officially start playing in theaters tomorrow, so be sure to check out a review from our own Chris Bumbray right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"JoBlo<\/p>\n

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