Matt Damon Explained Why He Really Regrets Turning Down "Avatar," And I Get It

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Matt Damon has been in tons of movies...

A closeup of Matt Damon
Bruce Glikas / WireImage

...But he wasn't in Avatar.

A member of the Na'vi in a scene from Avatar
20th Century Fox / courtesy Everett Collection

But he very much almost was! Last year, Avatar director James Cameron revealed that Matt turned down the role of Jake Sully, which eventually went to Sam Worthington — and he missed out on a $250 million payday in the process.

A closeup of Jake Sully in Avatar
20th Century Fox / courtesy Everett Collection

In a recent Entertainment Tonight interview alongside actor Zoe Saldana — who is in the Avatar film series — Matt admitted that turning down Avatar was, in hindsight, not the best business decision.

Zoe Saldana in Avatar
Walt Disney Co. / courtesy Everett Collection

"It’s the dumbest thing an actor ever did in the history of acting," he admitted, even as Zoe pointed out that his career didn't exactly "suffer" as a result.

  Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images
Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images

"Do you know what kind of movie that would’ve been if I would have been in it?" he replied.

  Rodin Eckenroth / FilmMagic
Rodin Eckenroth / FilmMagic

"I've probably done, like, 50 movies," he went on. "I've never been in a movie that made $1 billion."

Matt has specifically starred in at least 77 movies, according to his Wikipedia as of this article's published time. His highest-grossing film to date is 2015's The Martian, which made over $630 million worldwide.

Let this be a lesson to all: If life offers you Avatar, take it.