Matt Damon almost left The Martian orbiting someone else’s career, convinced audiences would mistake one stranded hero for another, until Ridley Scott dismissed the worry with the calm confidence of a filmmaker who had already seen the ending. The moment was equal parts practical and prophetic. It marked the start of a warm creative alliance. Years later, The Last Duel confirmed that Scott’s instinct about Damon was rarely wrong.

It seems Scott understood exactly what Damon needed on day one, kindly refusing the rejection that almost cost cinema Mark Watney.

How Ridley Scott rejected Matt Damon’s rejection

During a one-on-one conversation for Harper’s Bazaar, Anne Hathaway admitted she regrets turning down projects without first meeting the director, prompting Matt Damon to recall a decision that almost sent The Martian into an alternate universe. Fresh off Interstellar, the Oscar winner believed playing another marooned astronaut was simply too much déjà vu.

“And without like missing a beat, he goes, ‘Oh, no one gives a s***'”, Matt Damon hilariously shared. It was what Sir Ridley Scott’s entire counterargument was when Damon confessed what he was “stupidly overthinking” about having just played a stranded space traveler in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. 

The response landed exactly where Scott intended. Damon immediately abandoned his doubts and signed on for The Martian. He even recalled in his one-on-one with Anne Hathaway for Harper’s Bazaar that it was one of the greatest decisions of his life. The role became one of his defining performances and also kicked off a creative partnership that later reunited the pair for Scott’s 2021 epic.

Much like Matt Damon relished Tom Holland’s first The Matrix watch, the actor’s own career rejects are just as intriguing to uncover.

Matt Damon’s list of ‘what ifs’

Everyone enjoys discovering a great ‘what if,’ and Matt Damon’s career has enough of them to qualify as its own cinematic universe. James Cameron invited the actor to lead Avatar with a dazzling slice of the profits attached. Damon stayed loyal to The Bourne Ultimatum instead, sacrificing a fortune that has since become Hollywood folklore.

Christopher Nolan nearly added Damon to The Dark Knight as Harvey Dent before the calendar spoiled those plans and Aaron Eckhart stepped in. The actor’s résumé is full of remarkable films, yet the rejected ones remain equally fascinating conversation starters. Ridley Scott, fortunately, knew better than to let The Martian join that very expensive collection.

What do you think of Ridley Scott’s reaction to Matt Damon trying to turn down The Martian? Let us know in the comments!