Tom Holland revealed a major gap in his movie knowledge while comparing all-time favorites with Matt Damon. He has never watched The Matrix.
The confession came during a Complex GOAT Talk interview released July 15 as the actors promoted Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Holland asked Damon to name the greatest movie he wished he had appeared in, and Damon chose the Wachowskis’ 1999 science-fiction classic.
Damon was explaining how strongly the film affected him when Holland interrupted to admit he had never seen it. “Are you f—ing kidding me?” Damon responded.
Holland agreed that the omission was difficult to defend. “I know. Yeah, I don’t know why I’ve never seen it,” he said. “I know that I would love it. I just have never, it’s never been a movie that I put on.”
Damon Said Keanu Reeves Is Inseparable From ‘The Matrix’
“I love The Matrix,” Damon said. “The Matrix just blew me away when I saw it. But I couldn’t be in it, it’s Keanu, you know what I mean? And it’s just so iconic, which is one of the reasons the movie works. He carries you through it.”
Damon also mentioned Nolan’s Inception before the conversation returned to Holland’s viewing history. Rather than continuing to criticize his costar, Damon said he was “so jealous” that Holland could still experience The Matrix for the first time.
He questioned whether it would have the same impact on a viewer encountering it decades after its release. “I wonder if it’ll feel as groundbreaking to you because so much was subsequently based on it,” Damon said. He nevertheless urged Holland to watch it, calling the film “extraordinary.”
Holland Wishes He Had Played Edward Norton’s ‘Primal Fear’ Role
Holland chose the 1996 legal thriller Primal Fear when asked which movie he wished he had appeared in. He singled out Edward Norton’s performance as Aaron Stampler, an altar boy accused of murdering a Catholic archbishop.
“I have always really been blown away by Edward Norton’s performance in that film,” Holland said. “I’d love to have had the opportunity to play that role.”
The performance marked Norton’s feature-film debut and earned him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. Damon told Holland that Norton’s breakthrough also influenced the path he and Ben Affleck took while trying to establish themselves as actors.
‘Primal Fear’ Pushed Damon and Affleck to Write Their Own Movie
Damon and Affleck were among the thousands of young actors who pursued the Primal Fear role before Norton was cast. Damon said seeing Norton emerge from that enormous field convinced the friends that waiting for another comparable opportunity was not a realistic career plan.
“It was actually a real impetus behind us writing Good Will Hunting, because when Ben and I went out for that role and Edward beat out everybody and as he should have, he was phenomenal in the movie, Ben and I looked at each other and we were like, ‘There’s never going to be a role that good that comes down into the category of unknown actor and we all can take a shot at it,’” Damon said.
With approximately 10,000 actors competing for the part, Damon said he and Affleck “really buckled down and wrote Good Will Hunting a little more desperately.” The 1997 film later earned them the Academy Award for best original screenplay.