Missing out on Avatar is a big career regret for Matt Damon, but director James Cameron thinks the actor will be just fine. Released in 2009, Avatar is the highest-grossing movie of all time. A high-budget sequel that's been several years in the making, Avatar: The Way of Water, has also just been released in theaters, where it's already making some big money as well. More sequels are on the way, with Avatar 3 slated for a 2024 release. Not even factoring in what the sequels will make, turning down Avatar alone is said to have cost Damon upwards of $250 million.
There for the ride all along has been Sam Worthington in his lead role as Jake Sully. However, Worthington may not have gotten the role if it weren't for Damon first turning it down. When Avatar casting was underway, Damon had gotten an offer for the Jake Sully role, but at the time, he was committed to doing more work in the Jason Bourne franchise. He turned down the offer, but as he watched Avatar reaching monumental success without him, Damon has since expressed his regret for that decision.
"Jim Cameron offered me Avatar," Matt Damon said in a British GQ interview. "And when he offered it to me, he goes, '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 going to find an unknown actor and give it to him, because the movie doesn't really need you."
While missing out on the money is one thing, Damon said he regretted passing up the chance to work with Cameron.
"I realized in having to say no that I was probably passing on the chance to ever work with him. So that sucked and that's still brutal," he added.
Matt Damon Should Get Over It, Says James Cameron
With Avatar: The Way of Water hitting theaters, Cameron has been speaking a lot about the sequel and its predecessor in new interviews. In a chat with BBC 1 Radio (via ComicBook.com), Cameron commented on how Damon is still "beating himself up" over turning down Avatar. In jest, the director points to the success Damon has had and continues to have outside of the Avatar series, suggesting he'll be just fine and to move on.
"Matt, you know, you're kinda like one of the biggest movie stars in the world," Cameron cracked. "Get over it."
Avatar: The Way of Water is now playing in movie theaters. As for Damon, he can be seen in the upcoming movie Oppenheimer from Christopher Nolan, which hits theaters in July 2023.