Matt Damon learned a lesson at the age of 27 that most don't discover until much later in life: that awards and accolades would never define his worth.
While The Odyssey continues to do well at the box office and Academy Award rumors begin to circulate, a clip of Damon talking about his first Oscar win on The Graham Norton Show has resurfaced.
So far in his career, Matt Damon has won one Oscar for Best Original Screenplay alongside Ben Affleck for their writing of Good Will Hunting, which, funnily enough, neither actor prepared an acceptance speech for, since they did not think they would win.
Damon has received three Oscar nominations since then, once for producing and twice for acting, but he hasn't received another Oscar, especially for acting.
But the night he won for Good Will Hunting, something shifted in Damon's mind while he sat alone with his first Oscar, which he relived while guest-starring on The Graham Norton Show.
Damon reflected:
"I was alone with it... and I remember very clearly looking at that award and thinking, 'Thank God I didn't f**k anybody over for this.'"
"I suddenly had this thing wash over me where I thought, 'Imagine chasing that and not getting it, and getting it finally in your 80s or your 90s , with all of life behind you, and realizing... what an unbelievable waste.'"
"It can't fill you up. It will never fill you up. If that's a hole that you have, that won't fill it."
"I felt so blessed to have that awareness at 27, because I wouldn't have known it unless I knew it."
"Literally, my heart broke for a second. I imagined another one of me, an old man going, 'Oh my god, where did my life go? What have I done?' And then it's over."
While Damon has won an Oscar for Best Screenplay, he's at peace knowing that he won that award with Ben Affleck because of sacrifices they made creatively and artistically, not socially or morally.
And while it might be nice to win another Oscar, perhaps this time for his acting, Damon's also made peace with the fact that winning the award would not fulfill him in the same way that other areas of his life do, like the act of creating art and appreciating his greatest relationships.
You can watch the clip here:
Some viewers appreciated Damon's grounded take on the importance of winning an Oscar.
While others appreciated his stance on winning, they believed this Oscar win was already locked in.
You can watch the full segment from The Graham Norton Show here:
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
Many believe that The Odyssey is the movie that will finally bring the Oscar win home for Damon as Best Male Actor, but it's heartening to know that even if he doesn't win, his love for the project and what they accomplished will stay the same.
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