Matt Damon has landed some of the most notable cinematic pieces throughout his career, and his 2011 family comedy with Scarlett Johansson, We Bought a Zoo, was yet another addition to his star-studded resume. Based on a true story, the film served as a creative project for the 53-year-old actor that became one of his most enjoyable pieces of all time.
As entertaining as this movie in itself was, its backstory of how Cameron Crowe wooed Damon into hopping onboard was even more interesting as the filmmaker took a rather clever approach to let the actor know what he was getting himself into. And through this very approach, he helped kill Damon’s doubt about starring in a ‘Disney’ version of the script pitched to him.
Matt Damon Didn’t Want to be in “the Disney Version” of We Bought a Zoo
Back in the late 2000s, Cameron Crowe decided to create a movie loosely based on Benjamin Mee’s 2008 memoir We Bought a Zoo. This project would go on to become the fan-favorite 2011 family comedy of the same name, but it wasn’t without much initial hesitations. For one, neither the filmmaker nor the actor the script was pitched to wanted to make a “bad” version of this film.
To be more precise, in the eyes of Matt Damon, they didn’t want to make “the Disney version” of the story which would have fondly depicted a grieving widower father of 2 making the unlikeliest of decisions of buying and bringing back to life a dilapidated zoo. For the record, the final cut of the film was similar, except that it didn’t hold that many grieve-worthy themes.
And, of course, the Good Will Hunting star didn’t feel this way without having a hardcore reason why. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor confessed the same, saying, “It might be popular, but it wouldn’t be something that I’d be proud to be a part of.”
Surprisingly enough, Crowe felt the same way. Thus, in his initial pitch to Damon for the movie, he made his intentions clear so as to kill off the actor’s doubts regarding the same as well.
As the actor shared with THR about Crowe:
He said: ‘I know what you’re going to be afraid of; the bad version of this movie is really a movie you don’t want to be in. That’s what I’m afraid of too.’
Seeing himself on the same page as the director, The Talented Mr. Ripley star decided to give the project a chance, which eventually led to him pairing up with Scarlett Johansson to immaculately curate the masterpiece.
But the filmmaker’s words weren’t the only thing that had Damon taking his time to decide if he wanted in or not, as the spectacular way Crowe pitched the themes of the movie to him was what further resonated with the actor to the point where he really felt like doing it.
The Creative Way Cameron Crowe Pitched the Movie to Matt Damon
Being a mastermind, Crowe decided to choose the most natural option to make Damon realize his plans for the movie: He only presented him with the script, but also a copy of 1983’s Local Hero – a film about an oil company executive who gets sent to buy a remote village in Scotland, and a CD holding the playlist of songs he felt compatible with the movie.
That said, it was clear that “my instructions were to not just read the script and make a decision,” as Damon candidly revealed during the same interview. Thus, he tried to get into that very world that Crowe meant to create with the movie by watching the film that he found to be “a masterpiece” and listening to the songs compiled together for his kind reference.
And, sure enough, Crowe’s simple trick worked its charms. Especially the music, which made Damon realize the director’s true vibes for the project. As the actor continued to share: “There were all these songs I know but live versions that he got from soundboards. A song like, ‘I’m Open’ by Eddie Vedder — he gave me a particularly moving version that I’ve never heard. I kind of finished that run and went, ‘That’s a really good feeling.’”
Fortunately enough, that was that, and Matt Damon soon signed happily onto the project that resulted in the biographical comedy-drama film that continues to please fans from all across the globe.
We Bought a Zoo is available to be streamed on Disney+.
