Matt Damon was never offered ‘Avatar’ role despite claim, says James Cameron
The star has previously said he turned down ten per cent of the first film's box office earnings
by Victoria Luxford · NMEJames Cameron has denied Matt Damon’s claim that he was offered the lead role in 2009’s Avatar.
In 2019, the Jason Bourne star revealed in an interview with GQ that he was offered the part of Jake Sully, the lead character of the original film, by Cameron, as well as 10 per cent of the box office. Sully was eventually played by Sam Worthington.
“Jim Cameron offered me Avatar”, he said at the 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 gonna 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 10 percent [of the box office earnings].” Given the film grossed over $2.9billion (£2.1billion), he concluded: “I’ve left more money on the table than any actor, actually.”
The actor was filmed repeating the story at a Q&A panel back in 2023.
However, in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the release of the third film, Avatar: Fire And Ash, Cameron disputed the claim.
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“He was never offered the part,” the filmmaker said. “I can’t remember if I sent him the script or not. I don’t think I did? Then we wound up on a call and he said, ‘I’d 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’ve agreed to it, it’s a direct conflict, and so, regretfully, I have to turn it down.’ 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.”
He added: “Now, what he’s done is he’s extrapolated ‘I get 10 percent of the gross on all my films.’ And if, in his mind, that’s what it would’ve taken for him to do Avatar, then it wouldn’t have happened. Trust me on that.”
Cameron concluded: “So he’s off the hook and doesn’t have to beat himself up anymore. Matt, it’s okay, buddy! You didn’t miss anything.”
Avatar remains the highest grossing film of all time, with its 2022 sequel, Avatar: The Way Of Water, in third with $2.3billion (£1.7billion).