Matt Damon Reveals Which ‘Bourne’ Movie Is His Favorite — ‘I Always Liked it ‘Cause It Was Really Dark’
Matt Damon became an international star due to the success of the Bourne franchise. Playing an exiled CIA assassin suffering from amnesia, Damon anchored a film series that grossed over $1.6 billion at the box office.
Damon has starred in four of the five Bourne films, and many viewers often wonder which of them is his favorite.
Now, fans finally have an answer.
Matt Damon revealed which ‘Bourne’ movie is his favorite
Damon revealed which Bourne film is his most preferred during a recent interview with Bill Simmons.
“I always really liked the second one,” he said.
Even though The Bourne Ultimatum ultimately received the most acclaim from critics, Damon loves the dark tone that The Bourne Supremacy has.
“I think the third one hit the zeitgeist the most,” Damon admitted. “It was the right movie for that time … We had the wind at our backs for the third. But the second one … I always liked it ‘cause it was really dark.”
The ‘Bourne’ franchise producers didn’t want his love interest to be European
One of the biggest surprises in The Bourne Supremacy was Bourne’s girlfriend (played by Franka Potente) getting killed in the first act. Because she was a fan favorite, nobody anticipated him losing her so early in the film.
“Her getting killed at the beginning was unexpected,” he said.
Considering all of the work that Doug Liman, director of The Bourne Identity, had to do to get Potente into the franchise, everyone was shocked to see her go.
“We had to fight to get her in the first one, right? Because it’s like, ‘Well who’s she? She’s European, and Doug Liman, who directed it, to his credit said, ‘I don’t buy this American guy with amnesia being over in Europe and bumping into another American. Like, what’s that? That’s crazy.”
Jennifer Lopez wanted to play Matt Damon’s love interest in ‘The Bourne Identity’
According to Damon, producers wanted a big star to play opposite Damon in The Bourne Identity, but Liman didn’t think it was a good idea.
“I remember, at the time, it was like, Jennifer Lopez was interested,” Damon said. “There were like, big names that were interested in that role. And Doug really fought to have a lesser-known, European actress. And she was amazing.”
Potente’s character’s death played a big role in giving The Bourne Supremacy its darker, more emotional tone.
“You go through all that, you fight for somebody who you believe in because she’s great,” Damon said. “And then it all kind of works out and she proves to be one of the best parts of the movie. And you start the second one with her getting killed. It was really surprising.”
Matt Damon likes the way ‘The Bourne Supremacy’ shifts in pace
Even though Bourne’s girlfriend’s death was shocking and saddening, Damon understands why she had to be killed in the movie.
“It was the only way to get that character going again, right?” Damon said. “Because he’s like, ‘I’m out, and I have this, and I have a reason to live.’ And so … it’s propulsive. And you’re also with him because you’re pissed off too. Because you love her too.”
With all things considered, Damon loves how The Bourne Supremacy shifts in pacing and tone by its end.
“But at any rate, it goes from that kind of out of a cannon start and it ends with an apology. He ends up going to this person and taking responsibility for what he did,” Damon said.
