6) He seems wicked smaht
One of the things that his collaboration with Jimmy Kimmel is that Damon has the smarts to identify and frequently work with one of the funniest dudes in show business. And for the most part, he has made fantastic choices when it comes to movie and television appearances.
His brief stint on 30 Rock was nothing short of brilliantly conceived and executed, and his string of well received films in the mid-2000s, from Syriana to The Departed to The Informant, with minor hiccups like Stuck on You mixed in, he’s proven to be impressively discerning with where he takes his talents. He’s also a matter of fact yet compelling voice on political social issues, particularly the issue of education. He doesn’t speak with the typical faux-authority style a lot of celebrities will adopt, but rather as a concerned citizen, like anyone else.
There’s a reason that for a long time Matt Damon was considered “the smart one” in his friendship with Ben Affleck. While Affleck has since demonstrated the intelligence necessary to ably direct excellent films, Damon continues to show that he has a real talent for screenplay writing in his collaboration with new BFF John Krasinski on Promised Land.
Most of all, and I think what makes Damon such a beloved figure for the common man, is that he’s got the good sense to realize that simply being a movie star does not justify someone having airs about them, or the idea that they’re somehow of a higher class than anyone else; they just pretend to be other people on a screen. This apparent groundedness lends itself to playing everyman-style heroes that audiences love. At least my dad can identify with him.
Feel free to share your affections (or otherwise) for Matt Damon in the comments section below.
