We loved Matt Damon in the Bourne films; we loved his red carpet bromance with long-term pal Ben Affleck, and we loved it when he left a £100 tip in a pub in Hertfordshire. Currently starring in Jason Bourne opposite Alicia Vikander, the actor has just given us yet another reason to class him as one of the good guys, paying a really rather heartbreaking tribute to the late Heath Ledger in a new interview with GQ.
Discussing his relationship with Ledger, who he starred alongside in the 2005 fantasy film The Brothers Grimm, Damon revealed that he had been in awe of the Austrlian actor's talent. 'He was too bright for this world. Coming off [the film, I was] telling everybody that I just worked with the best actor I've ever seen,' he said.
'And people were like, "What are you talking about? The guy from A Knight's Tale?" And I was like, "You just wait. And wait until you see what kind of director he's gonna be." There were things that he did where I couldn't have got there in three lifetimes.'
'There were ways in which he was like a puppy dog. You wanted to protect him,' Damon added, before poignantly describing his response to Ledger's death in 2008.
'[His death was] just f***ing pointless.
'I called Terry [Gilliam, director of The Brothers Grimm] when I found out, and he was like, "I’m sitting here in Vancouver. I’m looking out the window, and it’s a beautiful sunny day, and the lights are turning red, and the lights are turning green, and cars are stopping, and cars are driving. I am surrounded by mediocrity. And he’s gone."'
On a cheerier note, Damon's Jason Bourne co-star Julia Stiles also recalled a bizarre encounter with Prince as part of the GQ feature, explaining how 'after The Bourne Ultimatum came out, there was a premiere in London. Prince actually came to it, then got tickets for the cast to come see him [in concert.]'
'We were summoned into a room, to meet him [afterwards]. Matt said, "So you live in Minnesota? I hear you live in Minnesota."'
According to Damon, 'Prince said, "I live inside my own heart, Matt Damon."'
We can only wonder how Damon responded...
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