Editing Matt Damon (section)

=== 1988–1999: Early work and breakthrough ===

Damon entered [[Harvard University]] in 1988,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-08-06 |title=Oscar winner Matt Damon on his Harvard years |url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/08/oscar-winner-matt-damon-on-his-harvard-years/ |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=[[Harvard Gazette]] |language=en-US}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|He lived in Matthews Hall and then [[Lowell House]]<ref name="Harvard1992">{{cite news|last=McGrath|first=Charles|work=[[The New York Times]]|title=6 Degrees of Harvard|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/weekinreview/01mcgrath.html?scp=1&sq=matt%20damon%20harvard%201992&st=cse|date=October 1, 2006 |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 5, 2009|archive-date=May 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510060758/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/weekinreview/01mcgrath.html?scp=1&sq=matt%20damon%20harvard%201992&st=cse|url-status=live}}</ref>|group="nb"}} where he appeared in student theater plays, such as ''[[Burn This]]'' and ''A... My Name is Alice''.<ref name="Chainani">{{cite web|last=Chainani|first=Soman S.|work=[[The Harvard Crimson]]|title=Matt Damon On Life, Acting and Harvard|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1997/12/12/matt-damon-on-life-acting-and/|access-date=April 21, 2010|archive-date=November 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111119132343/http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1997/12/12/matt-damon-on-life-acting-and/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="HarvardCrimson">{{cite news|last=Siegler|first=Elijah|work=[[The Harvard Crimson]]|title=Ex Show Safe but Satisfying|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1990/11/2/ex-show-safe-but-satisfying-piamy/|date=November 2, 1990|access-date=October 11, 2013|archive-date=October 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012014152/http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1990/11/2/ex-show-safe-but-satisfying-piamy/|url-status=live}}</ref> Later, he made his film debut at the age of 18, with a single line of dialogue in the [[romantic comedy]] ''[[Mystic Pizza]]''.<ref name="People - Bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/matt_damon/biography|title=Matt Damon Biography|access-date=April 5, 2009|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|archive-date=February 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203011048/http://www.people.com/people/matt_damon/biography|url-status=live}}</ref> As a student at Harvard, he acted in small roles such as in the [[Turner Network Television|TNT]] original film ''Rising Son'' and the ensemble prep-school drama ''[[School Ties]]''.<ref name="actors">{{citation | url=http://www.bravotv.com/inside-the-actors-studio/season-13/videos/matt-damon | title=Matt Damon - Season 13, Episode 3 | work=[[Inside the Actors Studio]] | publisher=Bravo TV | date=January 8, 2007 | access-date=October 3, 2014 | archive-date=October 6, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006121451/http://www.bravotv.com/inside-the-actors-studio/season-13/videos/matt-damon | url-status=live }}</ref> He left the school in 1992, a semester (12 credits) shy of completing his Bachelor of Arts in English to feature in ''Geronimo: An American Legend''<ref name="Chainani" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Oscars/matt-damon-stars/story?id=9957289|title=Matt Damon: Before They Were Stars|work=ABC News|first=Jennifer|last=Joseph|date=March 1, 2010|access-date=April 17, 2020|archive-date=August 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803203839/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Oscars/matt-damon-stars/story?id=9957289|url-status=live}}</ref> in Los Angeles, erroneously expecting the movie to become a big success.<ref name="Chainani" />{{#tag:ref|"By the time I figured out I had made the wrong decision, it was too late. I was living out here with a bunch of actors, and we were all scrambling to make ends meet," he has said.<ref>{{cite news|last=Koltnow|first=Barry |work=The Orange County Register|title=Looking for Mr. 'Good' Guy|date=December 5, 1999}}</ref>|group="nb"}} Damon next appeared as an [[opiate]]-addicted soldier in 1996's ''[[Courage Under Fire]]'', for which he lost {{convert|40|lb|kg}} in 100&nbsp;days<ref name="People - Bio"/><ref name="EW40lbs">{{cite magazine|last=Greenblatt|first=Leah|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|title=Actorexia: A Brief History|url=https://ew.com/article/2007/10/01/who-else-emile-hirsch-wild/|date=September 21, 2007|access-date=March 1, 2020|archive-date=February 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217162243/https://ew.com/article/2007/10/01/who-else-emile-hirsch-wild/|url-status=live}}</ref> on a self-prescribed diet and fitness regimen. ''Courage Under Fire'' gained him critical notice, when ''[[The Washington Post]]'' labeled his performance "impressive".<ref>{{cite news|last=Kempley|first=Rita|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title=Hand-to-Heart Combat|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/review96/courageunderfirekemp.htm|date=November 8, 1998|access-date=April 21, 2010|archive-date=November 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110122716/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/review96/courageunderfirekemp.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Matt Damon 1999.jpg|thumb|upright|Damon during filming for ''[[The Talented Mr. Ripley (film)|The Talented Mr. Ripley]]'' in 1999]]

During the early 1990s, [[Ben Affleck and Matt Damon|Damon and Affleck]] wrote ''[[Good Will Hunting]]'' (1997), a screenplay about a young mathematics genius, an extension of a screenplay he wrote for an assignment at Harvard, having integrated advice from director [[Rob Reiner]], screenwriter [[William Goldman]], and writer/director [[Kevin Smith]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ben-affleck-birthday_n_3750655| title=Ben Affleck's 41st Birthday Recalls Actor's Early Roles, Surprising Hobbies And Political Activism| work=HuffPost | date=August 15, 2013 |author=Matthew Jacobs | access-date=October 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007055630/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/ben-affleck-birthday_n_3750655.html| url-status=live |archive-date=October 7, 2014}}</ref> He asked Affleck to perform the scenes with him in front of the class and, when Damon later moved into Affleck's Los Angeles apartment, they began working on the script more seriously.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sischy |first=Ingrid |title=New Again: Ben Affleck |url=http://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/new-again-ben-affleck/ |work=[[Interview (magazine)|Interview]] |access-date=May 10, 2018 |date=April 16, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619233859/http://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/new-again-ben-affleck/ |archive-date=June 19, 2017 }}</ref> The film, which they wrote mainly during improvisation sessions, was set partly in their hometown of Cambridge, and drew from their own experiences.<ref name="bostonmag-history">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonmagazine.com/2013/01/good-will-hunting-oral-history/ |title=Good Will Hunting: An Oral History |first=Janelle |last=Nanos |work=Boston Magazine |date=January 2013 |access-date=June 5, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715034905/http://www.bostonmagazine.com/2013/01/good-will-hunting-oral-history/ |archive-date=July 15, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Shone|first=Tom|title=The Double Life of Matt Damon|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/the-double-life-of-matt-damon-9mspqql8h8j|work=[[The Times]]|access-date=May 10, 2018|date=February 26, 2011|archive-date=October 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005071754/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-double-life-of-matt-damon-9mspqql8h8j|url-status=live}}</ref> They sold the screenplay to [[Castle Rock Entertainment|Castle Rock]] in 1994, but after a conflict with the company, they convinced [[Miramax]] to purchase the script.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4720603/Good-Will-Hunting-the-truth.html |last=Goldman |first=William |title=Good Will Hunting: the Truth |work=The Telegraph |date=May 2, 2000 |access-date=May 12, 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924151342/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4720603/Good-Will-Hunting-the-truth.html |archive-date=September 24, 2015 }}</ref><ref name="highbeam1">{{cite news|url=https://business.highbeam.com/137462/article-1G1-57790090/playboy-interview-ben-affleck-candid-conversation-hot|title=Playboy Interview: Ben Affleck|last=Weinraub|first=Bernard|date=December 1, 1999|work=[[Playboy]]|access-date=May 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703192630/https://business.highbeam.com/137462/article-1G1-57790090/playboy-interview-ben-affleck-candid-conversation-hot|archive-date=July 3, 2017|url-status=dead|via=[[HighBeam Research]]}}</ref> The film received critical praise; Quentin Curtis of ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' found "real wit and vigour, and some depth" in their writing and Emanuel Levy of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote that Damon "gives a charismatic performance in a demanding role that's bound to catapult him to stardom. Perfectly cast, he makes the aching, step-by-step transformation of Will realistic and credible."<ref>{{cite news|last=Curtis|first=Quentin|title=Good Will Hunting, review: 'Robin Williams brings off sharpness and tenderness'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11035949/Good-Will-Hunting-review-Robin-Williams-brings-off-sharpness-and-tenderness.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11035949/Good-Will-Hunting-review-Robin-Williams-brings-off-sharpness-and-tenderness.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=May 12, 2018|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=August 15, 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Levy|first=Emanuel|title=Good Will Hunting|url=https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/good-will-hunting-3-1200452429/|access-date=May 12, 2018|work=Variety|date=November 30, 1997|archive-date=December 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226120724/http://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/good-will-hunting-3-1200452429/|url-status=live}}</ref> It received nine [[Academy Awards]] nominations, including [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] for Damon; he and Affleck won the [[Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay|Oscar]] and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay]].<ref name="Hartford9Nominations">{{cite news|author=Amy Wallace|author2=Robert W. Welkos|author3=Susan King|title='Titanic' Ties Record for Oscar Nominations|work=[[The Hartford Courant]]|url=http://www.courant.com/topic/cl-env-1998oscarnoms,0,2173092.story?page=1|date=February 11, 1998|access-date=April 5, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922033106/http://www.courant.com/topic/cl-env-1998oscarnoms,0,2173092.story?page=1|archive-date=September 22, 2009}}<br />{{cite news|last=Waxman|first=Sharon|author2=William Booth|title='Titanic's' 11 Oscars Ties Record; Night 'Good' for Nicholson, Hunt|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/movies/oscars/oscars98.htm|date=March 23, 1998|access-date=April 5, 2009|archive-date=November 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110065806/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/movies/oscars/oscars98.htm|url-status=live}}<br />{{cite web | url=http://www.eonline.com/news/584691/ben-affleck-s-most-awkward-smiles-see-that-one-in-gone-girl-and-9-from-real-life | title=Ben Affleck's Most Awkward Smiles | publisher=E! Entertainment | author=Corrine Heller | date=October 2, 2014 | access-date=October 3, 2014 | archive-date=October 3, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141003192653/http://www.eonline.com/news/584691/ben-affleck-s-most-awkward-smiles-see-that-one-in-gone-girl-and-9-from-real-life | url-status=live }}</ref> He and Affleck were each paid salaries of $600,000, while the film grossed over $225&nbsp;million at the worldwide box office.<ref name="bomojo"/><ref name="BioChannel$500K">{{cite web|publisher=[[The Biography Channel]] |title=Matt Damon |url=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_story/1685:2046/1/Matt_Damon.htm |access-date=April 5, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090918010053/http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_story/1685%3A2046/1/Matt_Damon.htm |archive-date=September 18, 2009 }}</ref> The two later parodied their roles from the film in Kevin Smith's 2001 movie ''[[Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://ew.com/gallery/perfect-casting-stars-screen-themselves/ | title=Perfect Casting: Stars on Screen as Themselves | date=June 12, 2013 | magazine=Entertainment Weekly | access-date=March 1, 2020 | archive-date=August 3, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803183932/https://ew.com/gallery/perfect-casting-stars-screen-themselves/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

Speaking of his "overnight success" through ''Good Will Hunting'', Damon said by that time he had been working in the cinema for 11 years, but still found the change "nearly indescribable—going from total obscurity to walking down a street in New York and having everybody turn and look".<ref>{{cite news|last=Goldman|first=Steven|title=Interview: Matt Damon|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/aug/10/1|access-date=May 12, 2018|work=The Guardian|date=August 9, 2007|archive-date=August 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812040939/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/aug/10/1|url-status=live}}</ref> Before the film, Damon played the lead in the critically acclaimed drama ''[[The Rainmaker (1997 film)|The Rainmaker]]'' (1997), where he was recognized by the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' as "a talented young actor on the brink of stardom."<ref>{{cite web |first=Jack |last=Matthews |url=http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-movie980106-50,0,962161.story |title=John Grisham's The Rainmaker |access-date=April 21, 2010 |date=November 21, 1997 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100628142930/http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-movie980106-50,0,962161.story |archive-date=June 28, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> For the role, Damon regained most of the weight he had lost for ''Courage Under Fire''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Geier|first=Thom|title=The Evolution of Matt Damon (Photos)|url=https://www.thewrap.com/the-evolution-of-matt-damon-from-mystic-pizza-to-jason-bourne-photos/|access-date=May 12, 2018|work=TheWrap|date=December 22, 2017|archive-date=May 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180513080836/https://www.thewrap.com/the-evolution-of-matt-damon-from-mystic-pizza-to-jason-bourne-photos/|url-status=live}}</ref> After meeting Damon on the set of ''Good Will Hunting'', director [[Steven Spielberg]] cast him in the brief title role in the 1998 [[World War II]] film ''[[Saving Private Ryan]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/matt-damon-playing-private-ryan/ | title=Matt Damon: Playing Private Ryan | author=CBS News Staff | date=July 23, 1998 | work=CBS News | access-date=October 3, 2014 | archive-date=October 6, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006104800/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/matt-damon-playing-private-ryan/ | url-status=live }}</ref> He co-starred with [[Edward Norton]] in the 1998 poker film ''[[Rounders (film)|Rounders]]'', where he plays a reformed gambler in law school who must return to playing high-stakes [[poker]] to help a friend pay off [[loan shark]]s. Despite meager earnings at the box-office, it is considered one of the best poker movies of all time.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rosen|first1=Christopher|title='Rounders' Turns 15: Matt Damon Poker Movie Splashed The Pot On Sept. 11, 1998|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rounders-15th-anniversary_n_3902343|access-date=March 1, 2020|work=HuffPost|date=September 11, 2013|archive-date=August 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803185134/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rounders-15th-anniversary_n_3902343|url-status=live}}</ref>

Damon then portrayed antihero [[Tom Ripley]] in ''[[The Talented Mr. Ripley (film)|The Talented Mr. Ripley]]'' (1999), a role for which he lost {{convert|25|lb|disp=flip}}. Damon said that he wanted to display his character's humanity and honesty on screen despite his criminal actions.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Johnston|first1=Sheila|title=Interview: Matt Damon: The talented Mr Damon tries on the Emperor's|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/interview-matt-damon-the-talented-mr-damon-tries-on-the-emperors-new-clothes-for-size-1183460.html|access-date=May 12, 2018|work=The Independent|date=November 8, 1998|archive-date=May 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180513011303/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/interview-matt-damon-the-talented-mr-damon-tries-on-the-emperors-new-clothes-for-size-1183460.html|url-status=live}}</ref> An adaptation of [[Patricia Highsmith]]'s 1955 [[The Talented Mr. Ripley|novel of same name]], the film costarred [[Jude Law]], [[Gwyneth Paltrow]], and [[Cate Blanchett]], and received praise from critics.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Talented Mr. Ripley|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/talented_mr_ripley|website=Rotten Tomatoes|date=December 25, 1999 |access-date=April 10, 2018|archive-date=November 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127044634/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/talented_mr_ripley/|url-status=live}}</ref> "Damon outstandingly conveys his character's slide from innocent enthusiasm into cold calculation", according to ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' magazine.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/the-talented-mr-ripley-2-1200460048/|title=The Talented Mr. Ripley|access-date=April 21, 2010|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|first=Todd|last=McCarthy|date=December 13, 1999|archive-date=January 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101012254/http://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/the-talented-mr-ripley-2-1200460048/|url-status=live}}</ref> In ''[[Dogma (film)|Dogma]]'' (1999), he played a [[fallen angel]] who discusses [[popular culture|pop culture]] as intellectual subject matter with Affleck's character.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9507E4D81E3EF937A35753C1A96F958260 | title=Dogma (1999) Movie Review | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=October 4, 1999 |first=Janet |last=Maslin | author-link=Janet Maslin |url-access=subscription | access-date=October 4, 2014 | archive-date=October 6, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006184448/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9507E4D81E3EF937A35753C1A96F958260 | url-status=live }}</ref> The film received generally positive reviews, but proved controversial among religious groups who deemed it blasphemous.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Caro|first1=Mark|title=A Practicing Catholic On The Religious Storm Of 'Dogma'|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1999/11/07/a-practicing-catholic-on-the-religious-storm-of-dogma/|access-date=May 12, 2018|work=The Chicago Tribune|date=November 7, 1999|archive-date=February 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225104356/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-11-07/news/9911070455_1_jason-mewes-and-smith-dogma-catholic-league|url-status=live}}</ref>