At one point in time, Damon was rumored to have been the pick for playing James T. Kirk, but it turns out that the rumor was only partly correct, as Damon was approached by J.J. Abrams to play the role of George Kirk.

When asked if he had called up Damon regarding the role of James T. Kirk, Abrams said “I did, but not for the role of James Kirk. I went to Damon for the role of Kirk’s father, and he declined in the most gracious and understandable and logical of reasons.”

Instead the part went to Chris Hemsworth. “We lucked out with Chris Hemsworth, and he did a great job,” said Abrams. “Maybe it would have been distracting to have someone as massively famous as Matt Damon in that role. The decision was made very early on to have actors who were not necessarily the most famous but the most right for the role.”

As reported by www.new-magazine.co.uk, although Damon was the first choice for Abrams, there is no regret for what might have been. “I actually approached Matt and we had some discussions, but everything happens for a reason,” explained Abrams. “On the one hand, it would have been great to work with Matt, but at the end of the day, it was such a better move to cast the movie with unknowns.”Casting unknowns has worked before, and Abrams feels that it makes the characters more believable to audiences. “It is fun to discover the stars of tomorrow, but even more so, just like with the first Star Wars, you didn’t know who those people were when you saw the movie,” he said. “You believed that guy was Luke Skywalker. You didn’t recognize him from six other movies. You bought into who this guy was. It is a slippery slope when you cast any actor that is somewhat known. We weren’t beholden to any fame meter.”

Damon is known to fans for his roles in movies such as Good Will Hunting, Saving Private Ryan, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Bourne Identity and The Good Shepherd.

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