The famous "A-List": Matt Damon reveals how directors choose their casts

Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey hits theaters this summer. To mark the occasion, Matt Damon opens up about his early days in Hollywood and how directors select their casts.

Matt Damon stars alongside Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, as well as Anne Hathaway, Elliot Page, Lupita Nyong’o, and others in one of the most anticipated films of the moment: Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey. In an interview with the American magazine GQ, the 55-year-old actor opened up about his early days in the film industry. It’s a time he remembers fondly, fueled by the sheer number of roles he was able to take on. And while he said “yes” to almost everything out of love for the craft, it was also out of fear of fading from directors’ minds.

“I worked five years straight, literally with nothing but two suitcases. I traveled everywhere and went from one shoot to the next. I loved it. It was amazing. I loved what I was doing. I didn’t want to stop,” he said.

A golden period marked by real anxiety: being forgotten or, worse still, blacklisted. And in Hollywood, as he knows, there’s no room for pity. According to the actor, an “A-list” is passed down from director to director: “There’s this list we hear about, but you never really know if you’re on it. You might suspect you are if your phone rings nonstop, but in reality, you can never be completely sure.” The world of cinema is a little—or a lot—cruel.