Good Will Hunting Star Matt Damon has always had an eye for spotting talent, even in the most minor roles. He recently shared a story about an actor who had barely a part on set but still left a big impression.
Matt Damon says he knew Pedro Pascal would become a star
Matt Damon recently shared a memorable experience from the 2011 sci-romance The Adjustment Bureau that confirmed his knack for spotting talent. On The Howard Stern Show, Damon recounted working with a young actor in a minor, even cut, role, whose presence was impossible to ignore.
While filming a scene, Damon and Emily Blunt noticed a young actor (Pedro Pascal) playing a tiny role as a maitre d in a New York scene. Even though his scene got cut, they both immediately sensed something special about him. Damon recalled, “That guy’s really f—ing good.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, what the f—? That guy was really good. There was something just incredibly interesting, but real and natural… And years later, I found out it was Pedro Pascal.” Damon continued (via EW), “Not even a day player with anything actually, really to do. Just his presence, we both recognized it immediately.”
When Howard Stern asked Matt Damon if delivering just one line in Mystic Pizza was “horrible” than doing a whole monologue, especially as a young actor trying to impress everyone, Damon laughed and said it wasn’t horrible at all. He remembered the dinner scene took three nights to shoot because of all the camera angles, but he was just soaking it all in. Damon was thrilled to be there, lights, crew, everything, it felt amazing.
“I remember that as being… It was three nights of shooting, because it was a big dinner table scene, and there was a lot of coverage, and I just remember being so excited, feeling like I couldn’t believe that I’m here. All the lights, the crew, the whole thing felt like… I knew I was where I wanted to be. I loved everything about it,” Damon shared.
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya for ComingSoon.
