Being ranked among Forbes’ most bankable stars is not an honor handed out to just everyone. However, Matt Damon isn’t just anyone. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the 70s, Damon discovered his love for acting in the theatre. His film debut came a bit later with a single line in the movie Mystic Pizza.
Needless to say, he’s come a long way from one-liner and even landing roles in The Bourne franchise, Invictus and The Martian. Altogether, the star has made quite a name for himself. However, there are a handful of interesting tidbits people don’t know about him. Here’s the lowdown.
10. He Dropped Out Of Harvard
Year in, and year out, people strive to get into the ever-prestigious Harvard University. On the flip side, some people end up leaving the institution before they’re done. Well, Matt Damon is one of the latter, and for good reason too.
Before any pearls are clutched, he’s in good company as a handful of celebrities have dropped out of Ivy League schools. In his day, Damon was an English major, but he opted out in 1993 when he was just 12 credits short of graduating. But it wasn’t for a bad cause, seeing as he left to take the lead role in the movie Geronimo: An American Legend.
9. He Has An Unshakeable Bromance With Ben Affleck
Both Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been quite vocal about their diehard friendship. In fact, the pair go way back, seeing as they practically grew up together. Even more, their careers sort of progressed at the same pace starting from their days as drama geeks in high school. Needless to say, theirs was bromance written in the stars.
8. He’s Reportedly In A Feud With Jimmy Kimmel
As far as celebrity feuds go, Damon’s and Jimmy Kimmel‘s has been a delight to watch. Apparently, it all started back in 2003 when Kimmel came up with an ‘interesting’ way to end his show every night. He’d say, “I want to apologize to Matt Damon, we ran out of time.”
Naturally, while Kimmel thought it was hilarious, Damon had other thoughts, and as such, a feud was born. At some point, Affleck had to step in as a referee at some point. But things kept getting heated to the point that Damon took over Jimmy Kimmel Live! for a night and renamed Jimmy Kimmel Sucks.
7. He Quit Smoking After Visiting A Hypnotist
No doubt, smoking is one difficult habit to kick, in fact, Damon once used it to quit smoking. The story has it that he once headed to LA to see a hypnotist concerning his smoking. Apparently, all it took was a few sessions for him to kick the habit. Since then, he’s become an advocate for hypnosis and credits it for making him able to quit smoking.
6. Matt Damon Met His Wife At A Bar
Very few people expect to meet the love of their lives at t a bar, but that’s what happened to Damon. Back in 2003, his wife, Luciana Bozán, was working at a bar in Miami. By 2005, the pair were hitched and ready to start a family of their own. They have a total of four daughters together, with the eldest coming from Luciana’s previous relationship. However, Damon officially adopted her after the wedding.
5. He’s Terrified Of Snakes
As far as fears go, snakes are as valid as they come. In a nutshell, Matt Damon happens to be terribly afraid of snakes. However, that’s not his only fear. The star is equally afraid of heights and hates flying as a result. While working on the movie Rising Son, he had to face his fear of heights head-on.
4. Matt Damon Co-Founded H20 Africa
As far as good causes go, Damon has his fingers in a pretty noble one. As mentioned above, he’s the founder of H2o Africa. Altogether, it’s an organization that aims at providing clean water to people in developing countries. They help about three million people get access to potable water.
3. He’s Happy His Wife Isn’t An Actress
Matt Damon is happy with the fact that he didn’t marry an actress. The star believes that superstar couples often draw unwanted attention to themselves. He told Esquire, “I got lucky… I fell in love with a civilian. Not an actress and not a famous actress at that. Because then the attention doesn’t double — it grows exponentially.”
2. Matt Damon And Ben Affleck Are Related
While it’s common knowledge that Damon and Affleck are bosom buddies, not many people know that their connection is deeper. The two are actually distant cousins, and perhaps that further explains their bond. Altogether, it’s a great thing to find a good friend that’s actually your kin.
1. The Movie That Launched His Career Almost Killed Him
Hollywood stars do a lot of extreme things for the roles they take on. In fact, for his part as a heroin addict in Courage Under, Damon had to lose about 40 pounds to make it realistic. This led to a few complications with his health later on. After the movie, he had to take medication for an entire year and a half to deal with the stress on his adrenal gland.
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