Interview by: Bruce Bluett
Bruce Bluett@TheCinemaSource.com

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Spoilers Ahead

Matt Damon was propelled to stardom by portraying a man in pain. He was intelligent, witty, shy and passionate. His name was Will Hunting. Several years later, Damon has returned to a character who shares a similar pain. He does not know who he is, but knows only who he loves. His name is Jason Bourne. It is no coincidence that these two performances stand out through the course of Damon's career. Both roles were challenges met by an actor who continues to show drive and range in films from Stuck on You to The Talented Mr. Ripley. He has done his fair share of comedy, but Damon thrives in drama. The creation of The Bourne Supremacy alone signifies that the audience is eager to see Damon do what he does best.

In terms of picking his jobs, Damon outlook has remained intact from obscurity to fame. 'At first, obviously during the time of saying one line in Chasing Amy, I took any job I could get. Since Good Will Hunting and since I have been offered jobs instead of having to hustle and audition for them, there are basically three things that I always look for. I look for a script that I like, a good director, and a good role. Usually I'll settle for any two of those' Damon said. 'The combination of all three is really hard to come by. I felt like I had all three with a film like The Talented Mr. Ripley. Whatever successes or failures I've had have been with those things in mind'.

Although you may look at his career and see nothing but the highlights, i.e. an Oscar win and many million dollars in paychecks, Matt Damon has endured a few box office mishaps as well. They may not be as highly touted as his friend Ben Affleck's Hollywood blunders, but take a look at some of the titles and you'll see what he means.

'It's weird to talk about my career in terms of success. Until really recently, right before The Bourne Identity came out, I hadn't been offered a role in a year. The Legend of Bagger Vance came out and bombed, All the Pretty Horses bombed, and the word was that The Bourne Identity was going to tank also because we had pushed back the release date twice. That's usually a sign that things aren't going well' Damon admits. 'The fact was that Universal had given more money to go back and re-shoot and pickup things that we needed. We held the movie for the right reasons. Nobody really called and gave me any job offers for quite some time. I went and did a play in London. We closed on a Saturday night and Bourne came out on a Friday. By the time I got back from New York on Sunday night, on Monday morning there were something like thirty script offers'.

With his newfound success in the Bourne series, Damon owes the privilege not only to the script or the director but to his skill as an actor as well.

'Doug Liman (director The Bourne Identity) thought it was really daring to cast me in as this guy because of the way I look. This guy clearly has a history and a dark past, and people usually don't think that when they see me. There was a lot of stuff physically in terms of getting ready. We tried to look at every aspect to make this guy as believable as possible. The worst thing is to have a good movie but the central character is not believable and he is constantly taking people out of the movie. Doug came up with certain things, he watched boxing on television and he said he like the way boxers walked. There was a directness, efficiency and security in the way they walked. So, I boxed for about six months before the movie. It did help the way you move around other people. It's a very subtle thing, but the sum total of those subtleties makes something that is either believable or not. A lot of the weapons training allowed me to pick up little tips'anytime he holds a gun, it has to look like it's an extension of his hand. The only way to get around that is to go to the firing range and put in hundreds of hours. I didn't have to think about the gun, it would never be pointed toward anything I wasn't willing to destroy'.

After discovering the role and playing the part with so much widespread recognition, it may have come as no surprise that a sequel was in the works. After all, author Robert Ludlum penned a series of books and the first film adaptation was a tremendous success in theatres and in DVD sales. And so, riding the success and spurring curiosity from its predecessor, The Bourne Supremacy shot to the top of the box office.

'There was no reason to make it unless we could make it better than the first one. The three major ideas that I liked was that in the first act'she (Marie) dies, in a really brutal way. This character, that we went to great lengths and great fights to cast in the first movie'she was the little ray of hope in this guy's life, and she is murdered. That's the big moment in the first act that I hope is somewhat bold and will be surprising for people. In the second act I shoot a woman in the face, just completely in cold blood. As an audience you sit there and see your central character do this horrible thing. In the third act I go to apologize to this young woman having learned what I've learned about loss in my own life. He visited humanity for the past few years and he understands what it means to have that taken from you. What I liked about it is that were putting into a mainstream movie the feeling that something terribly wrong has happened to you, your first instinct is to get revenge. But if you sit back and think about it, you start to think of yourself and your own life. You take responsibility for your own actions. The most important thing you can do before you rejoin the human race is to begin atoning for your sins. The last shot of the movie is him rejoining this sea of humanity, in New York City of all places. That was a good thing to put out there in this day and age. We took somebody who we established as the ultimate American machine and in the end he does the only thing he can he wants to atone and redeem himself'.

Will a third Bourne be in Matt Damon's future' That can only be left to speculation; however Matt has been keeping very busy as of late on other projects. You can look forward to seeing him in Ocean's Twelve and Syriana with friend and co-star George Clooney. Matt is also finishing up work on the Brothers Grimm with Heath Ledger and director Terry Gilliam. Throughout his future successes, there is no doubt that audiences will forever remember Matt Damon as Will Hunting and Jason Bourne. Both characters, dark and pained, rise from the depths to redeem themselves in a new life. They never get there without taking action first. Who knows'where would Matt Damon be if he hadn't decided to take his career by the reigns' Writing Good Will Hunting was the most daring and lucrative move Damon has made to grasp his dreams. Perhaps that is why we like him so much, whether he plays a conjoined twin or a super-assassin, the man has got serious drive. So, if you find yourself a Matt Damon novice, do yourself a favor'do as Jason Bourne has taught us'atone for your sins, and look him up.