But, despite the criticism, he is happy his children understand the importance of his work. "They know it's time-consuming and a lot of work, and that it fills me up."
Editor's note: This article was originally published on July 21, 2021. It has since been updated.
Matt Damon may have captured his fans' hearts with his movies, charm, and performances, but his teenage daughter Isabella refuses to watch any of his movies where he's done a great job, according to CNN. During the promotions for his latest movie Stillwater, the 50-year-old actor revealed how his 15-year-old daughter said she wouldn't watch his 2016 film The Great Wall because she thinks he may be good in it. Mind you, this is the movie that the actor won an Oscar for!
The star told CBS Sunday Morning that Isabella, his second-oldest daughter, "refuses to see it."
"She doesn't want to see any movies that I'm in that she thinks might be good. She just likes to give me s---," Damon explained. "My daughter said, 'Hey remember that movie you did, The Wall?' I said, 'It was called The Great Wall.' She goes, 'Dad, there was nothing great about that movie.' She keeps my feet firmly on the ground."
According to Entertainment Weekly, despite the teasing, the father-of-four is happy his children understand the importance of his work.
"I like that they know that I love my job," he said. "They know it's time-consuming and a lot of work, and that it fills me up." When the movie got a 5-minute long applause at the Cannes Film Festival, Damon got emotional. He adds that being a father is actually what changed him as an actor, making him a bit emotional.
"I think I get choked up easier now. Ever since I had kids, my job has become a lot easier, because I don't have to try," he said. "I don't have to reach for any emotions, whether it's joy or whether it's pain, because it's all just nearby because the stakes are so much higher when you have kids."
Damon, who has been married to Luciana Barroso since 2005, had to dive right away into fatherhood because Barroso had a 4-year-old daughter named Alexia at the time. “I jumped into the deep end with Lucy. I mean, Alexia was already 4. I was an extra dad,” he told Parade. The happy couple then welcomed three daughters of their own—Isabella, Gia, and Stella. Along with having a house full of women, the Invictus actor is constantly learning new things about them.
One of those things he learned is that "girls are smarter". "I never expected to be surrounded by girls, but it’s great. ...You never know which way life’s going to take you," the 50-year-old actor told TODAY in a backstage interview. "I’m learning so much, not the least of which is how much smarter girls are. I operated under the assumption that us guys had a chance, but I realized when I was completely wrapped around my 2-year-old’s finger, and she knew it. If they can do that to us at 2 years old, when they’re fully grown we really don’t stand a chance."
He really does love his brood, and even got tattoos of all his daughters' named, beside his wife's name on his arm, to honor them, per PEOPLE. It really doesn't get any better than this, does it?
References:
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/19/entertainment/matt-damon-daughter-trnd/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/matt-damon-on-stillwater-and-a-return-to-the-movie-theater/#x
https://ew.com/movies/matt-damon-daughter-refuses-watch-good-will-hunting/
https://parade.com/133669/brookehauser/matt-damon-low-key-life/
https://www.today.com/parents/matt-damon-fatherhood-taught-me-girls-are-smarter-1C7406286
https://people.com/parents/matt-damon-tattoo-daughters-names/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Kate Green
