To have Matt Damon play the world-weary, tortured, and tormented superspy Jason Bourne was not only one of Hollywood’s most iconic ideas but also a clever imitation of what James Bond amounted to in British pop culture. His turn as a fresh-faced, Oscar-winning writer of Good Will Hunting was no longer the greatest feat attached to his name in his illustrious filmography.
Due to the apparent elite status of his job, Matt Damon offered a variety of roles throughout his career, ranging from the shifty kid with the slippery fingers in the Ocean’s trilogy to the mob mole within the Boston PD in The Departed. And yet, it was the role of Jason Bourne to which he kept returning time and again, over the decades.
Jason Bourne Takes Off With a Bang
As the James Bond equivalent in American pop culture lore, director Doug Liman created the character of Jason Bourne to counter his dreams, aspirations, and passion for directing his very own Bond film someday – a franchise that notoriously employs only British directors to helm the movies. Soon after, Matt Damon stepped into the shoes of a super spy and the world has never quite been the same.
Oscar-winner Matt Damon is perhaps one of the few people who could have convincingly pulled off looking so boyishly nonchalant while playing the part of a super spy. However, to be scrutinized for how he looked and his physical appearance being taken into account for a particular role left a bitter aftertaste in Damon’s mouth. Fortunately for him, the decision turned out in his favor.
With a clear green light from the studio, the first film, The Bourne Identity hit the theaters in June 2002, taking the world by storm and launching a legacy in real time, with Matt Damon positioned smack dab at the center of it.
Matt Damon Posed a Risk for Jason Bourne Franchise
In an interview for Black Film, actor Matt Damon sat down for a tête-à-tête divulging details of his casting for the Jason Bourne film franchise series, as well as whatever failings or shortcomings could creep up in the next series installment (at the time).
Speaking about how the director Doug Liman and Damon came together on the project, the latter claimed:
It was something that Doug Liman and I talked about because he thought it was really daring to cast me as this guy because of the way I look. I look so young and this guy clearly has to have a history and he’s got a very dark past. People don’t look at me necessary think that, so there was a lot of stuff physically in terms of getting ready.
Moreover, talking about the suspension of disbelief when it came to the titular character of the spy franchise and the risk of putting Damon in the role, he said:
We just tried to look at every different aspect and how to kind of make this guy as believable as possible because the worst thing that could happen is that if you have a good movie but the central character is just not that believable and he’s constantly taking your audience out of the movie, that’s a complete disaster. The movie would just fall apart.
Fortunately, the Jason Bourne film franchise has been one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed spy series of all time, despite being a simple imitation born out of one man’s dream. The last installment, which was released in 2016, garnered mixed reviews, scoring only 55% on Rotten Tomatoes as compared to the 84% of the first film.
The Bourne Identity is streaming on MGM+.
