S. Samuel
Hollywood star Matt Damon recently talked about replacing Eminem in the summer blockbuster Elysium and why he never viewed Slim Shady as true big screen competition.
The mega movie stud downplayed recent reports of him and Em going head-to-head for the lead role.
“I don’t even think [Eminem] was my competition. I think [director] Neill [Blomkamp] went to him, so there was no competition,” Damon said. “He got the offer, but that’s probably 75 percent of the things that I do — somebody else got the offer before — that’s kind of the nature of the business. I think you end up getting the part you’re supposed to get. The right actor gets the part, ultimately. In terms of me, I never asked Neill. I just found out about Eminem because I read it somewhere.” (MTV)
Damon also revealed how he made himself not get too hung up about Em having the edge on him.
“I think Neill called him, and he passed, and then Neill called me,” the actor elaborated. “It’s not like they bring us all in for the cattle call: ‘Goddamn it, Clooney’s here! I knew it.’ It’s the kind of thing like — before I was married — asking your girlfriend about ex-boyfriends. You don’t want to know, and it doesn’t affect your relationship. You just get the parts you get.” (MTV)
According to recent reports, Em and South African rapper Ninja were the top prospects to snatch the lead role.
Turns out Matt Damon was the third choice for the starring role in Elysium: director Neil Blomkamp had first sought South African rapper Ninja, from the group Die Antwoord, and then Eminem for the lead in his futuristic sci-fi thriller, The Guardian reports. The South African director first approached Ninja, a countryman who is a fan of Blomkamp’s last film, District 9, but the rapper declined. “It was a f*cked up, difficult decision,” he said. Ultimately, Ninja wanted his breakout role as an actor to be something other than the role of an American character in a big-budget film. (Rolling Stone)
Slim Shady reportedly also said no after the film did not cave in to his personal demand.
Blomkamp next approached Eminem, who said he would do it only if the film were shot in Detroit, his hometown. In the end the role went to Damon who stars as a reformed car thief travelling to a utopian space station suspended in orbit above a ruined planet. Elysium, which also stars Jodi Foster, hits theaters on August 9th. (Rolling Stone)
Check out the Elysium trailer:
