Matt Damon starred in 'Elysium' because he was desperate to team up with Neill Blomkamp.
The 'Behind the Candelabra' actor is a huge fan of the director's 2009 sci-fi movie 'District 9' and jumped at the chance to star in his forthcoming sci-fi blockbuster when offered the lead role of Max.
He said: "The big appeal was Neill. I saw 'District 9' and flipped out like everybody else. I had my eye on him as somebody that I wanted to work with and then the next thing he was doing suddenly came my way, so it was a really easy decision for me."
Damon is best known for starring in action movies such as the 'Bourne' franchise and dramas like 'Good Will Hunting', but while he's always wanted to act in a sci-fi movie has surprisingly never been offered one before 'Elysium'.
He told SFX magazine: "I love [sci-fi] but there aren't many sci-fi movies that have come out while I've been around that have been great. There was 'The Matrix', obviously, but I never got a shot at that. They're the funnest movies as a moviegoer to see, so I'd been looking for one but just nothing had come around."
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