Matt Damon says a serious health scare involving his wife, Luciana Barroso, came just days before the 2024 Oscars. Barroso had surgery for a brain aneurysm the week before the ceremony, but was feeling well enough to go out by the time of the after-parties.
In a GQ interview, Damon said Barroso surprised him by getting dressed and joining him for the evening. She remembered that he had missed a previous Oscar celebration, he explained, and was determined they would go this time. Damon called her decision heroic and said it meant a great deal to him.
The experience brought back another awards-night regret. Damon was in Miami filming scenes for “The Bourne Ultimatum” when “The Departed,” which he starred in, won several Oscars in 2007, including best picture and Martin Scorsese’s first best director award.
Damon was living in Miami with Barroso and their infant daughter. They watched the ceremony together, but he hadn’t considered that “The Departed” might win best picture. When the film took the award, he realized they should have been there. Cast members and studio executives later called to ask why he had missed the celebration, he recalled. “I totally blew it,” he said.
He had another chance to celebrate in person when “Oppenheimer” won best picture at the 2024 Oscars.
Damon has said his family helps him manage the demands of acting. He and Barroso have generally tried to keep his time away for work to about two weeks. That changed during the early production of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” when Damon spent three and a half weeks away from home. He said his family made a sacrifice and supported him through it.
Damon and Barroso married in 2005 and have three daughters together: Isabella, Gia and Stella. Barroso also has a daughter, Alexia, from an earlier relationship, whom Damon helped raise.
Damon also spoke warmly about longtime friend Ben Affleck, saying Affleck has turned down roles that would have kept him away from his children. Their priorities, Damon noted, have changed since they became successful with “Good Will Hunting.”
He said he doesn’t expect another career-defining opportunity like that, but still hopes to keep making films with Affleck. The two, he added, are continuing to pursue ambitions they had when they were young.
