…or so he says anyway, from NetIndia123:
Hollywood star Matt Damon says that his performance in ‘The Talented Mr Ripley’ was Oscar-worthy, and soon everybody will agree with him…
…”I still think the only way to judge a movie is like 10 years down the road, away from all the marketing and the Oscar race and all that bulls**t. And you’re just like, ‘Wait, well, who won it that year?’ I think movies have two lives: the initial hype and then it’s got the library value,” Contactmusic quoted him as saying.
I agree that a movie has many more lives than just the one, but you can see the bitterness in this statement, or perhaps it’s just cold belief I’m not sure. However ignoring any possible ego’s and self belief, did he really deserve an Oscar for The Talented Mr Ripley?
I remember his performance, and I do think he was utterly superb in that movie. Was he better than Jude Law? Let’s face it Law played his role perfectly well too, so I would guess it lies in the diversity of the character. I think it’s there that Damon steals it. Law’s character was a playboy, lounging around, spending money and enjoying women, was that a hard push for him? Damon’s character was a complete sociopath, rapidly turning from emotional and weak to cold hearted killer. Undoubtedly I think his was the far more demanding and stronger performance.
What do you think? Law or Damon?
If I ran things Bosom Buddies would already be in production. I know going in it would be a horrible movie but oh what fun. Just thinking about those two running around in drag trying to be funny puts a smile on my face. Hanks could do a cameo. I would say Peter Scolari but who would give a crap?
*snort* I can see them doing it, too, crackerjack. And Ben will bitch through the whole movie about how much prettier Matt is than him in drag. :-)
I’m not saying either way. I do feel looking back that Damon’s performance was more powerful. I only saw it once and his character and scenes still haunt my memory. American Beauty now that I look back seems like a bit of fluff. I only saw it once because I had an ill effect to the row-boat scene and when the oar goes upside Judes head. It may have been the previous nights drinking but I almost past out in the theatre. However he didn’t only lose to Spacey he wasn’t even nominated. I think that maybe the character scared the voters. Maybe they didn’t know what to do with the character. Ripley was a bit of an enigma. As for Roberts winning. Well it never hurts to push up your breasts and wear a short skirt, maybe Damon should try it. I would see a movie with him in drag just for the laugh. Maybe a remake of Bosom Buddies. It could star Matt and Ben again. I smell blockbuster.
Crackerjack, acting wise, I’d pick Di Caprio over Damon anytime.
Let’s not even debate either one of them getting an Oscar.
Okay, so what you’re saying is that if Matt Damon wants to win his damn Oscar, he has to think like Julia Roberts and take the complete opposite roles to what he normal plays.
IE: Julia wasn’t a winner till she pushed up her tits and took water samples from the desert in her tight mofo leather hooker skirt complete with 4″ hooker-issue heels, then all Matt has to do is turn his back on the serious roles and play a hooker with a heart of gold type of deal, and he will be a shoo-in at Oscar time. :-)
*smacks forehead* Oh, I get it now!
It wasn’t just that Spacey won, Damon wasn’t even nominated. So we can’t just compare his acting in that role to Spacey but we must also compare the other actors who were nominated. I also am wondering if maybe Damon’s role scared the academy members. It was a frightening role and perhaps it was just too much to take. This topic has got me thinking of another actor who seems to be snubbed as much as snubbs the academy. Leo Dicaprio. He was nominated for Whats Eating Gilbert Grape but lost out that year to Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive. Both great roles but I gotta say I remember Arnie much more than Marshal Samuel Gerard as being a great performance. Say where’s Arnie’s Oscar.
Ehr, very, very good point there crackerjack. :-)
If you’re going to compare Damon to Spacey that year, than yes, my original answer stands and so do the reasons everyone has poninted out. What it comes down to is a much richer and more layered character with vast amounts of meat for Matt to sink his teeth into over Kevin playing the hapless and rebellious Lester to the gorgeous and fabulous Annette Being playing the shrew role. He merely had to bounce off of her energy throughout that film. Damon was not only playing off many different actors, but had to shift gears constantly throughout Ripley, and that’s not an easy feat when you think about spreading that out over every day of shooting for three months minimum. Only a consumate actor could have had the kind of focus, discipline and attention to detail at all times. For his hard work in learning to morph into characters other than his own, he deserved the Oscar.
PS: But, that’s not to say I wasn’t happy for Kevin. I loves me some Kevin Spacey.
I think we are comparing the wrong actors. Jude Law was nominated for best supporting actor. Damon would have been in the lead role. His competition would have been:
KEVIN SPACEY in “American Beauty,” Russell Crowe in “The Insider,” Richard Farnsworth in “The Straight Story,” Sean Penn in “Sweet and Lowdown,” Denzel Washington in “The Hurricane”
Thats a pretty tough list. Was he better than any of them? Was he better than Spacey who won?
Did you see the trailer for Capote? Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays Capote. That was one powerfull trailer. I can not wait for this movie. This has to give this man that naked golden boy!
Donna A.
He used glycerine to induce tears in “Saving Private Ryan”. Great eh?
If there was a movie Damon was very good in, prolly not necessarily getting a nomination, it would have to be “Courage Under Fire” which started his career on the right path which made Spielberg interested to cast him as Ryan.
Gotta say though that his work in “Good Will Hunting” was something I can not ignore.
Matt Damon over Jude Law anytime, including in Ripley. Jude Law played his part well, but what he was required to play was a character that was not very interesting, and one that did not develop, change or grow during the course of the movie. In contrast, Damon did a superb job of conveying a complex character – a sociopath, but not an all-knowing and all-powerful one a la Hannibal Lecter (or like the later portrayal of an older Ripley by John Malkovich). Damon’s character experienced doubt, panicked, felt inadequate and (twice) killed the man he loved – all of the emotion he was feeling conveyed not by heavy-handed voice-over but through subtle portrayal on-screen.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman – well, now you’re talking. He certainly made more of an impact in his relatively brief time on screen than Jude Law, but an Oscar for his contribution to Ripley? Nah. Matt Damon was robbed, man!
In a word, yes. He deserved an Oscar for that one. I thought that sitting in the cinema. And I don’t think his remarks are bitter, but a bit bittersweet. He did a fabulous job, and to be honest, until you told me it was Jude Law in that movie, I was certain I hadn’t seen in him a single thing to date and couldn’t understand all the hype. I still can’t because if I can remember Gwen, Phillip, the father (I love that actor), and Matt in the movie yet can’t recall Jude at all, he wasn’t that noteworthy. So… stacking the two up… no, no comparison for me. If you want to compare actors in that flick, pick Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Matt Damon. That’s a more fair competition. They went toe-to-toe. They were both strong, memorable performances to me. Even Gwenyth was great in it, and I’m not a huge fan of her work.