James Cameron sets record straight on Matt Damon ‘Avatar’ casting role

James Cameron is breaking records when it comes to casting for one of his most iconic films.

In an interview with Hollywood Reporter Earlier this month, the 71-year-old director addressed Matt Damon’s claims that he was offered a role in “Avatar” and a share of the film’s revenue, but had to turn it down because he was filming one of the “Jason Bourne” movies.

“He was never offered the role,” Cameron said. “I don’t remember if I sent him the script. I don’t think I did. Then we had a phone call and he said, ‘I love exploring making movies with you. I have great respect for you as a filmmaker.’ [‘Avatar’] It sounds interesting. But I really should do this ‘Jason Bourne’ movie. ‘I accepted this, this is a direct conflict and so unfortunately I have to turn down this offer.'”

“But he was never offered it,” Cameron continued. “There was never an agreement. We never talked about the character. We never got to that level. It was just a question of availability.”

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The “Titanic” director added that if it took a percentage of the film’s gross profits to get Damon to agree to star in the movie, “then it wouldn’t happen. Trust me on this one.”

Although Cameron had never offered him the role, he praised Damon for turning down the opportunity to work with him because he was already committed to another film and calling him personally to let him know.

“He said he didn’t want it coming from the manager, he’s an honorable man,” Cameron said. “Regards to Matt. I would love to work with him one day. But it never happened. It was a combination of different things that happened.”

Cameron then “let Damon off the hook”, telling the actor that he “doesn’t need to beat himself up anymore” and reassuring him that he “didn’t miss a thing”.

Damon once said he was offered 10 percent of “Avatar.” (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Damon previously claimed that he almost starred in the movie, saying, “Jim Cameron called me and offered me 10% of ‘Avatar.'”

“You’ll never meet an actor who turned down more money than me… I was in the middle of shooting ‘Bourne,’ and I was going to have to quit the movie a little early and give them a little bit of a hard time, and I didn’t want to do that,” he said. “[Cameron] It was really nice, he said: ‘If you don’t do this, this movie doesn’t really need you. He doesn’t need a movie star at all. The movie is the star, the idea is the star, and it will work. But if you do this, I’ll give you 10 percent of the movie.”

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The role ultimately went to Sam Worthington, who reprized the character in the film’s two sequels.

“Avatar” grossed $2.74 billion at the worldwide box office, surpassing “Titanic” in 2010 to become the highest-grossing film of all time. “Avengers: Endgame” held the record for the highest-grossing movie ever for nine years before hitting the top spot in April 2019 with $2.79 billion.

The lead role eventually went to Sam Worthington. (Pietro D’Aprano/Getty Images)

It took the top spot when it was later re-released in theaters. The list also includes “Avenger Infinity War” and “Avatar: The Way of Water.”

Actress Zoe Saldaña appeared in all four films; She portrayed Neytiri in the “Avatar” franchise and superheroine Gamora in the “Avengers” films, making her the only actor to star in four films that grossed over $2 billion at the global box office.

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Saldana became the first actress to star in four films that grossed over $2 billion at the worldwide box office. (Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

“I feel grateful and feel like the luckiest girl in this town, knowing that I have been invited to participate in films with a special cast and special directors,” she said. Deadline About appearing in many different series in December 2022.

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“And they resonated with people so much that we had a chance to come back again and come back another time,” he added. “I actually reaped all the benefits of it; I made friends. I still have mentors that I look up to and get support from.”