Sometimes, an actor misses out on a role and it becomes the stuff of Hollywood legend. Leonardo DiCaprio nearly played Spider-Man, for example, while Tom Cruise came this close to suiting up as Iron Man in place of Robert Downey Jr.
Matt Damon, meanwhile, very nearly ended up playing Jake Sully in 2009's Avatar. Director James Cameron initially wanted a big name for the title role, and went so far as to offer the Bourne star 10% of whatever the movie's box office revenue ultimately ended up being.
The actor was committed to playing Jason Bourne, though, and then-relative unknown Sam Worthington ended up playing Jake instead (we're not sure if he secured as impressive a deal).
Damon has shared his regrets on more than one occasion, admitting that he ended up leaving "more money on the table than any actor" - it would have been around $290 million - and that "in having to say no that I was probably passing on the chance to ever work with [Cameron]."
During a recent interview to promote Avatar: The Way of Water, Cameron noted that Damon is still "beating himself up" for missing out on Avatar, but doesn't seem to feel too sorry for the actor.
"Matt, you know, you're kinda like one of the biggest movie stars in the world," the filmmaker added, clearly having fun with Damon's decision to turn him down. "Get over it." After explaining why the actor couldn't star in Avatar, Cameron acknowledged that he should give him a cameo in the sci-fi franchise "so that the world is in equilibrium again."
Damon probably wouldn't be against the idea, especially as he showed up for a couple of fun cameos in Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder as an Asgardian actor playing Loki.
It would have been interesting seeing him play Jake, of course, but it's a role Worthington has definitely made his own.