James Cameron addresses Matt Damon’s claim of rejecting Avatar profit share
James Cameron has responded to Matt Damon’s claim of turning down a 10 percent share of ‘Avatar’, refuting the actor’s widely circulated claim and clarifying his stance on the matter.
Director James Cameron has denied claims made by actor Matt Damon regarding casting for Avatar. Cameron denied the suggestion that Damon was offered the lead role in the film, clarifying that no formal offer was ever made to the actor for the role.
Damon claimed in a 2019 interview British GQ That he had rejected a deal that offered him a 10% cut of profits. With the film grossing $2.79 billion globally, Damon said this option represented a potential financial loss of approximately $250 million.
Cameron insisted that any discussions about Damon potentially participating in the film were purely preliminary and never progressed into any concrete or concrete proposals. In an interview with the director of Avatar: Fire and Ash hollywood reporterSaid, “He was never offered the role. I don’t remember whether I sent him the script or not – I don’t think I did? – Then we talked on a call and he said, ‘I’d love to do a movie with you. I have a lot of respect for you as a filmmaker.'”Avatar) Sounds interesting. But I really want to do this Jason Bourne movie. I have agreed to this, this is a direct conflict and hence with regret I have to turn it down.
Cameron said, “But he was never offered. There was never a deal. We never talked about the character. We never got to that level. It was just an availability issue.”
According to Cameron, he would have immediately rejected the casting effort if securing Damon’s participation meant agreeing to give him a 10% cut of the film’s total revenue. Nonetheless, Cameron maintained a positive view of Damon’s actions, and highlighted that the actor addressed the issue directly and ultimately backed out of the film because he was already committed to another project.
Cameron said, “He felt obliged to call me personally and tell me; he said he didn’t want it to come from an agent – he’s an honorable man. So all respect to Matt. I’d love to work with him someday.”
Cameroonian Avatar: Fire and Ashes Released in theaters on December 19, 2025. It is the sequel of Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Path of Water (2022).
