Throwback To The ’90s: 4 Movies That Shaped Matt Damon’s Career

Forbes recognizes Matt Damon as one of the most bankable stars, the world sees him as a philanthropist, and the Hollywood scene noticed him as one of the most successful actors of all time. He is also involved in screenwriting and producing. Howeve…
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Forbes recognizes Matt Damon as one of the most bankable stars, the world sees him as a philanthropist, and the Hollywood scene noticed him as one of the most successful actors of all time. He is also involved in screenwriting and producing. However, he officially started acting at the age of 18. Born in 1970 in Massachusetts, Damon grew up with his mother after his parents got divorced in 1973. One of the people that he was spending a lot of time with since early childhood was Ben Affleck, who lived only two blocks away from him.


As a teenager, Damon was performing in numerous high school theatre plays which had a significant impact on his love for the theatre and the movie industry. He was also a student at Harvard University, but his passion for acting was very strong, so he decided to dedicate wholeheartedly and left the university. As far as we can tell, he has proven his commitment from the variety of awards won including an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, seven Emmys and three BAFTA awards.

Through his performances in “The Bourne” series, and “Ocean’s” Franchise, Matt has attracted a lot of attention and brought him fame in the Hollywood scene. Nonetheless, there are so many other lovely roles performed by this multitalented actor that we forgot about and missed. That is why we will make a throwback to the ’90s and review 4 of his best movies which shaped his career.

Matt Damon in 2015.

Good Will Hunting
(1997)

Written by Matt Damon itself and his friend Ben Affleck, Good Will Hunting got the reputation as one of the best movies ever made by telling the story of a delinquent janitor (Will Hunting) who is a genius. Among all of the awards that this movie has claimed, it has earned 2 Academy Awards. The whole team has performed very professionally including Robin Williams, Stellan Skarsgård and Casey Affleck. Thanks to Matt Damon’s fantastic performance in the movie, students at M.I.T. (the place where the movie was filmed) in Boston are still crazy about Will Good Hunting. The movie brought him fame back then and was one of the critical factors in shaping his acting career.

Rounders (1998)

The poker drama movie describes the life of Mike McDermott, a law student who is taking part in poker tournaments into the exciting underground casinos in New York and Atlantic City, which didn’t adhere to any laws or gambling regulations. Nowadays, poker players can enjoy playing legally on the internet, knowing they are in the right hands and provided with a secure gaming atmosphere. Damon, as Mike does a more than fantastic job in performing the role of a skilled poker player, he also mentioned in one of his interviews that he would be happy to reprise the movie, taking into account that the world of online playing has changed ever since then.

He got provided with appropriate training for the film, which is visible on the big screen with his focus, strategy and patience. However, Damon cleverly took advantage of those skills has applied them in many other movies which shaped him in an actor that he is now.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Saving Private Ryan won 5 Academy Awards, and it is one of the best WWII movies in history. On the one hand, Steven Spielberg’s drama perfectly describes the clash of cruelty and humanity, which are always present during wars. Back then, when Spielberg was focused on the casting for the role of Private Ryan, he preferred to find someone who is very unpopular in the movie industry. That is how he ended up with Matt Damon, but he won an Oscar for Good Will Hunting in the meantime. The movie is still highly respected in the Hollywood scene, and it will be remembered as one of the most epic films of all time.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) 

The Talented Mr.Ripley is a psychological thriller directed by Anthony Minghella. Based on a novel written by Patricia Highsmith’s in 1955, the movie will get you through the story of Tom Ripley who always wanted to become a fake somebody rather than a real nobody. Tom Ripley’s character is very complex, he is a liar, manipulator and amoral, but yet sophisticated and polite. Despite the perplexing personal characteristics, Matt Damon successfully manages to represent Tom Ripley in his true colour. The movie also stars one of the most famous actors and actresses of all time such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett and Philip Seymour Hoffman and has received five nominations for an Academy Award.