Matt Damon looked back at his breakout role in Good Will Hunting and his action star turn in the Bourne franchise for the Good Morning America series “Take It From Me.”
The 53-year-old actor, whose latest film The Instigators debuts Aug. 9 on Apple TV+, says he learned “innumerable lessons” from the late Robin Williams while filming 1997’s Good Will Hunting.
“He was one of the hardest working people that I ever, ever worked with. Take after take, he was absolutely tenacious and he was inventive and creative,” said Damon, who won an Oscar for writing the film with his best friend Ben Affleck.
“He just was exploding with ideas and creative energy, and he was really, really kind to everybody,” he said of Williams, who died by suicide in 2014.
Damon starred as the titular math genius MIT janitor Will Hunting in the film; Williams won an Oscar for playing Dr. Sean Maguire, a psychologist who both challenges and helps Will.
Damon continued, “I just feel incredibly lucky not just that he said yes to this movie, because that is why it got made, ultimately, but that I was exposed to that kind of a human being early on in my career while my work habits were still forming.”
Matt added, “I couldn’t have asked for a better role model or kinder scene partner and friend.”
Damon was also asked if he would ever reprise his role as Jason Bourne, the character he first played in 2002’s The Bourne Identity and its subsequent sequels, the most recent of which released in 2016.
“I would definitely take on this role again if there was a good script, if we could figure out where to take the character to make it interesting for the audience,” he explained. “… I would definitely — definitely — do that again.”
If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or by visiting 988lifeline.org. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
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