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For anyone who can't remember how much of a sensation Avatar was when it first came out, it is hard to overstate how popular it was. After all, some people were so obsessed with the film that they dreamed of living on the fictional planet featured in the movie.
As a result of how much people adored Avatar at the time, the movie went on to become the highest-grossing movie in history. Then, after briefly losing that title to Avengers: Endgame, Avatar was re-released and took back the top spot.
Despite the incredible amount of success that Avatar enjoyed, some people thought the sequel Avatar: The Way of Water was going to flop. However, even though a lot of people questioned if Avatar: The Way of Water was worth the wait, it became a huge hit as well. In fact, The Way of Water became one of the five highest-grossing movies of all time like Avatar and Titanic.
Given that both Avatar movies were box office behemoths, you'd certainly think that every actor would want to star in them. As it turns out, however, several actors turned down the opportunity to star in one of the Avatar movies.
Why Did Matt Damon Turn Down The Chance To Star In Avatar?
Over the last several decades, it has become clear that the powers that be believe that there are two ways they can sell movies to audiences. After all, every major movie these days either is headlined by a huge star or is some kind of sequel, prequel, or remake.
When Avatar was released in 2009, it was conspicuous because it wasn't headlined by a huge star, and it wasn't related to any kind of pre-existing property. The closest that Avatar had to a major star was Sigourney Weaver and while she is beloved, she only had a small role in the film.
As it turns out, however, if things played out differently, the movie would have featured a big star. After all, Cameron offered Matt Damon the starring role in the film.
Based on the fact that Avatar was a huge hit, Damon had to have some regrets about passing on the film since headlining it would have raised his profile. That said, there is a much more concrete reason that Damon must have kicked himself.
When Damon was asked to star in Avatar, he was offered a deal that would have resulted in him being paid 10% of the film's profits. Considering that Avatar has grossed almost $3 billion as of this writing, it is mind-blowing to think of how much cash Damon missed out on.
After all, even keeping in mind that Hollywood accounting can be strange, Damon almost certainly would have been paid more than $200 million. On top of that, it is hard to fathom the kind of deal Damon would have gotten to star in the Avatar sequels.
While speaking to Deadline in 2021, Damon joked about how much money he lost.
“I was offered a little movie called Avatar, James Cameron offered me 10% of it,” he recalled. “I will go down in history… you will never meet an actor who turned down more money.”
Also during that interview, Damon revealed that he passed on Avatar because of scheduling conflicts. When Avatar was filming, Damon was busy working on the third film in the Bourne franchise.
Why Marc Maron Didn't Want To Star In Avatar: The Way Of Water
Based on the way that Marc Maron speaks about his acting career, it seems pretty clear that he doesn't see himself in any kind of grandiose way. Despite that, the fact is that Maron has put together a pretty impressive career that has included sharing the screen with legends like Robert De Niro.
Since Maron seems like he is always true to himself, it seems like many powerful figures in Hollywood enjoy his acting. At that same time, that trait has resulted in Maron proving time and time again that he is willing to call out people like Joe Rogan and other power brokers in the entertainment industry.
Based on those two sides of Maron's personality, it makes sense that James Cameron sought Marc out to audition for Avatar: The Way of Water, and the comedian was very open about that experience.
During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Maron revealed why he didn't want to star in Avatar: The Way of Water. While it is important to note that Maron's story makes it seem pretty clear he wasn't offered a role, it also appears like Marc would have turned the movie down if Cameron wanted to cast him.
“That was ridiculous. Why the f--k would I want that job? There’s this assumption that we’re going to do four ‘Avatar’ movies. Dude, I don’t even remember the first one!"
“Thank God [I didn’t get the part],” Maron continued, “I don’t like being away from home. My agent was like, ‘You’re probably going to go to New Zealand for four years,’ or whatever the f--k it was. Some ridiculous amount of time. I was like, it’s not happening. Then [Cameron] sent me a box of cigars because he didn’t cast me. Ok, that’s nice. At this age, I have no problem saying no.”
Why Jake Gyllenhaal Didn't Think He Was Right To Star In Avatar
In 2010, the Los Angeles Times published an article that revealed that Jake Gyllenhaal was offered the starring role in Avatar but he turned it down. Furthermore, the article quoted James Cameron speaking about his attempts to cast Gyllenhaal and Matt Damon.
According to Cameron, it was Fox that wanted him to cast Gyllenhaal or Damon. Instead of being invested in the idea of having either of those movie stars in his movie, Cameron says he was already sure that he wanted Sam Worthington to take the starring role in Avatar. On top of that Cameron guessed why the two actors passed on Avatar.
“Honestly, did I go out and try to woo them? No. I had my heart set on Sam. Maybe they sensed my lack of 100% commitment from me. Maybe it was the subject matter. This was a big ‘Star Wars‘-type movie. They’re both serious actors.”
In a separate interview, Gyllenhaal revealed why he opted to pass on Avatar. According to Gyllenhaal, he didn't think he was the right person to star in a movie the size and scope of Avatar at that time.
“When James and I discussed the project, I wasn’t ready. In this business, if you don’t listen to yourself, you’re going to meet serious trouble."
