"It's usually the exact same three things which are, the Scripts, the Director and the Role those are the three things I look for and really any two of them, If I get two of them that's usually enough, but definitely those are the things I look for"
About this Quote
Matt Damon is describing taste as triage: a pragmatic, almost actuarial way of deciding what’s worth his time in an industry built on hype. The charm is in how unromantic it is. No talk of “passion projects,” no mystique about art arriving like lightning. Just three levers that predict whether a movie will be good, or at least worth betting a career on: the words on the page, the person steering the ship, and the part that lets an actor actually do something.
The subtext is a quiet critique of how many films are assembled backwards. Hollywood loves to sell concept, IP, release dates, “attachments.” Damon’s checklist cuts through that noise. Script is the foundation; director is execution; role is stakes. He’s also admitting a hard reality: you rarely get all three. The “any two is usually enough” line is the tell. This is a veteran speaking from experience with compromise, scheduling, financing, and the weird alchemy of packaging. It’s not cynicism so much as survival skills.
Context matters because Damon isn’t just any actor; he’s a star who came up through writing (“Good Will Hunting”) and has worked with brand-name auteurs and franchise machinery alike. The quote signals a kind of middle-aged professional ethos: seriousness without self-mythology. It reframes “choosing projects” as craft management, not self-expression. For audiences, it’s reassuring in a blunt way: the best actors aren’t chasing glory; they’re chasing conditions where good work is even possible.
The subtext is a quiet critique of how many films are assembled backwards. Hollywood loves to sell concept, IP, release dates, “attachments.” Damon’s checklist cuts through that noise. Script is the foundation; director is execution; role is stakes. He’s also admitting a hard reality: you rarely get all three. The “any two is usually enough” line is the tell. This is a veteran speaking from experience with compromise, scheduling, financing, and the weird alchemy of packaging. It’s not cynicism so much as survival skills.
Context matters because Damon isn’t just any actor; he’s a star who came up through writing (“Good Will Hunting”) and has worked with brand-name auteurs and franchise machinery alike. The quote signals a kind of middle-aged professional ethos: seriousness without self-mythology. It reframes “choosing projects” as craft management, not self-expression. For audiences, it’s reassuring in a blunt way: the best actors aren’t chasing glory; they’re chasing conditions where good work is even possible.
Quote Details
| Topic | Movie |
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