Matt Damon: a cosmopolitan hero for the mainstream

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article traces the development of a cosmopolitan dimension in the star persona of Matt Damon. Paul McDonald’s theorisation of the economic and symbolic aspects of stardom is used to explore the creation and transformation of the Damon brand through the years according to a pattern of continuity and change. The article argues that, from the Bourne franchise onwards, Damon’s roles have started to incorporate cosmopolitan meanings, an aspect of the Damon brand that also plays a crucial role in his non-filmic star persona and his particular embodiment of celebrity cosmopolitanism. The last section of the article analyses Promised Land and Invictus and the ways in which Damon’s characters in these movies have incorporated specific aspects of cosmopolitanism.