US EditionJames Cameron Shuts Down A-Lister's Story About Turning Down ‘Avatar’
James Cameron denies offering Matt Damon the lead role and 10% gross share in Avatar, calling Damon's claim a mix-up over scheduling and role availability.
- On Thursday, James Cameron told The Hollywood Reporter he never offered Matt Damon the Jake Sully role in Avatar.
- A video circulating for two years shows Matt Damon saying he was offered Avatar and ten per cent of the film's gross, but he declined due to a Jason Bourne film schedule conflict.
- Cameron says Sam Worthington's raw intensity and a screen test with Zoe Saldaña sealed the part, and he famously fought to cast Worthington over contender Channing Tatum.
- Given Avatar grossed $2.9 billion, Damon's ten per cent claim suggests he lost potentially hundreds of millions by declining, a point James Cameron disputes, saying Damon extrapolated the claim.
- Cameron praised Matt Damon's outreach as classy, said they never discussed Jake Sully, and called the issue an availability problem while unsure if he sent the script.
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The Independent
The Independent (US)James Cameron shoots down Matt Damon’s viral Avatar claim
Damon has spoken for years about his regret over turning down the blockbuster
James Cameron Clarifies Matt Damon's Viral 'Avatar' Claim, Says He Was Never Offered the Part
Get latest articles and stories on Entertainment at LatestLY. Filmmaker James Cameron has addressed actor Matt Damon's long-circulating claim that he turned down the lead role in Avatar along with a lucrative share of the film's profits, saying the version widely believed online is "not exactly true." Entertainment News | James Cameron Clarifies Matt Damon's Viral 'Avatar' Claim, Says He Was Never Offered the Part.
Cameron Shoots Down Damon's "Avatar" Claim
About two years ago, a video surfaced in which actor Matt Damon claimed to have rejected the lead role of Jake Sully in the “Avatar” franchise – and lost a massive payday in the process. Damon said in the clips that Cameron had called him and offered him “10% of Avatar”. Damon was in the middle of shooting a ‘Bourne’ film and didn’t want to “leave them in the lurch a little bit”. He adds Cameron explained: “If you don’t do this, this movie doesn…
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