The truth regarding Matt Damon’s claim that he turned down the main part in Avatar and lost out on a payment of more than a billion dollars was publicly revealed by James Cameron. In sit-down appearances and press conferences, Damon has told the same heartbreaking story for years. According to accounts, Cameron approached the actor about playing Jake Sully in the famous 2009 film and offered him a tenth of the revenues.
Damon stated that he declined the post since he was busy filming a Bourne series film at the time. If Damon’s claim is true, he missed out on hundreds of millions of dollars by turning down the film, which went on to gross $2.92 billion worldwide.
Cameron, meanwhile, has a very different memory of the situation, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “He was never offered the part,” the director told the outlet. “I can’t remember if I sent him the script or not. I don’t think I did?” The Oscar-winning director said that in a conversation over the phone, Damon said he would love to do the movie, but he was forced to turn it down because of his conflicting schedule with The Bourne Ultimatum and The Green Zone.”
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Cameron stated, “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.” Sam Worthington became Jake Sully and continued the role in the sequels. “And if, in his mind, that’s what it would’ve taken for him to do Avatar, then it wouldn’t have happened,” the Titanic creator added, adding that Damon had “extrapolated” the portion of the claim in which Cameron offered him 10% of the profits. “Trust me on that.”
“Jim Cameron offered me Avatar,” Damon said to GQ at one time. “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. But if you take the part, I’ll give you ten per cent of…’” The reporters referenced that he meant his ten percent share.
