Oppenheimer actor Matt Damon promised wife he’d go on a break, unless Christopher Nolan called him and offered a film

Matt Damon was thinking of taking a sabbatical from acting — till director Christopher Nolan called. Matt promised his wife in couple’s therapy that he’d take a break to focus on their marriage and family. But there was one exception: Christopher Nolan calls and offers him a movie. Matt stars in Christopher’s Oppenheimer. (Also Read: 5 reasons to explain why excitement for ‘Oppenheimer’ movie is going through the roof)

About Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer is the biopic of nuclear physicist and the ‘father of the atomic bomb,’ J Robert Oppenheimer. It stars Cillian Murphy in the titular role and the ensemble consists of Robert Downey Jr, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Gary Oldman and Rami Malek among others. Produced by Universal Pictures, the film will release in cinemas on July 21.

Matt on the Nolan caveat

“This is going to sound made up, but it’s actually true. I had — not to get too personal — negotiated extensively with my wife that I was taking time off. I had been in Interstellar, and then Chris put me on ice for a couple of movies, so I wasn’t in the rotation, but I actually negotiated in couples therapy ­— this is a true story — the one caveat to my taking time off was if Chris Nolan called. This is without knowing whether or not he was working on anything, because he never tells you. He just calls you out of the blue. And so, it was a moment in my household,” Matt told Entertainment Weekly in an interview.

Matt and Christopher’s collaborations

Matt first worked with Christopher in the latter’s 2014 science fiction thriller Interstellar. However, he had an extensive guest appearance, a supporting role, alongside the lead actor, Matthew McConaughey. In an interview to Fandango, Matt recalled and joked how Christopher offered him the part. “He called and said you know they say there are no small parts (only small actors). This is a small part (laughs).”

Matt, however, wasn’t on Christopher’s radar since then. They didn’t collaborate for his next two films, the 2017 war drama Dunkirk and the 2020 sci-fi thriller Tenet. Christopher, however, did call Matt for yet another supporting role in his new film, the biographical thriller Oppenheimer. Matt’s wife then decided to honour their deal as he did one more film with Christopher.

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