Matt Damon

Damon plays Ilario in the war drama, Courage Under Fire. Before the Congressional Medal of Honor can be awarded, U.S. Army officer Nat Serling must investigate whether Captain Karen Walden deserves it. She will be the first female to receive the award for her heroics during Desert Storm. However, as Serling does a little digging, parts of the story do not add up. Co-starring Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan.

I remember when the movie came out and I wasn’t even mentioned in the reviews because I hadn’t really been in the press notes… I remember feeling like I had given so much for that role, and my name wasn’t even in the paper.

Damon plays Private Ryan in the war drama, Saving Private Ryan. After a family loses three of their boys in World War II, a group of soldiers must find the last surviving son who is in Nazi-occupied territory. The squad have different opinions of whether or not they should save the Private, since it means risking their own. Co-starring Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, and Vin Diesel. Directed by Stephen Spielberg.

I know when I saw it I had this visceral reaction to the combat because it doesn’t pull any punches.

Damon plays Tom Ripley in the crime drama, The Talented Mr. Ripley. Tom has a very strange talent – he can assume the identity of the people he meets in his life. This talent takes him overseas to Europe where he steals the life of a spoiled, rich playboy, until the victim’s loved ones start questioning his disappearance. Co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. On his character:

I think at the heart of him is this tremendous loneliness, and I think that’s something that’s universal.

Damon plays Jason Bourne in the action thriller, The Bourne Identity. The film tells the story of a man who wakes up with no memory. He discovers that his name is Jason Bourne and there are people that want him dead. Bourne must use the clues tied to his past to figure out why he is being hunted. Co-starring Clive Owen and Julia Stiles.

I trained a lot in martial arts and in boxing and in firearms training, just so that would inform the way I stood, or the way I listened to people, or the way I looked at people.

Damon reprises his role as Jason Bourne in The Bourne Supremacy. Just when he thought he escaped the horrors of his past, Jason Bourne is framed and must fight for his survival again. Bourne has since discovered that CIA black-ops group Treadstone is behind everything, and will not stop until he is finally terminated. Co-starring Julia Stiles, Michelle Monaghan, and Joan Allen.

I really like the character. I kind of feel that I’m in the same position that I was in in the last one now, where I’d like to do a third one but I don’t want to do it if it can’t be as good as the second one.

Damon plays Wilhelm Grimm in the comedy adventure, The Brothers Grimm. To earn a living, brothers Will and Jacob hop from village to village charging townsfolk, while they pretend to kill evil fairytale monsters. One day, they encounter a real magical curse and must find and use their courage for the first time. Co-starring Heath Ledger and Monica Bellucci. Ledger on Damon’s role:

I think Matt really encompassed Will and the con-artist in Will brilliantly. He did charm the pants of people.

Damon plays Colin Sullivan in the crime drama, The Departed. Two fresh graduates from the Massachusetts Police Academy traverse two different sides of the law. Billy Costigan must work undercover and infiltrate mobster Frank Costello’s gang, and Sullivan who works for Costello, is the mob’s eyes and ears in the police force. The two officers race to find the identity of one another. Co-starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, and Jack Nicholson.

I did all this research and went with the state police and did everything from listening in on a wire to observing under-covers, to buying drugs.

Damon reprises his role as Linus Caldwell in the crime thriller, Ocean’s Thirteen. After crew member Reuben Tishkoff is double crossed on his new casino investment, Danny Ocean and company set out to ensure the casino fails on opening night. This time around, it isn’t about money, but revenge. Co-starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia, Al Pacino, Scott Caan, and Casey Affleck.

One good byproduct of these movies being so successful is that we get to go off and do other movies in between. So to get all eleven of us in the same place in the same time is tough.

Damon plays Francois Pienaar in the biographical drama, Invictus. In his first term as President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela turns to the sport of rugby to unite his nation. He teams up with the Captain of South Africa’s rugby team and encourages him to lead the others to world cup victory. Co-starring Morgan Freeman.

I’ve met most of the guys on that rugby team, and they all knew what was kind of being asked of them. It’s a really wonderful moment in that country’s history.