Matt Damon reunites with Charlize Theron, calls her one of Hollywood’s 'toughest' stars

Matt Damon has heaped praise on his longtime friend Charlize Theron, joking that the Oscar-winning actress has “won the genetic lottery” and barely seems to age.

The 55-year-old actor made the comment in a new interview with ELLE magazine, reflecting on their decades-long friendship and their recent reunion while filming Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey. 

Damon and Theron first worked together more than 25 years ago in the 2000 film The Legend of Bagger Vance.

“I don’t know why only one of us aged,” Damon said. “She won the genetic lottery.”

He went on to praise Theron, 50, not only for her appearance but also for her character and work ethic, describing her as someone he has always “rooted for.”

“She’s just a formidable woman and a great, great actress,” he said.

Damon also recalled the intense conditions the cast faced while filming The Odyssey on a windswept beach in Morocco, highlighting Theron’s resilience during physically demanding scenes.

“She had to do these scenes that were already challenging with a 30- to 40-mile-an-hour wind ripping sand into her eyes,” he said. “She’s just a boss.”

According to Damon, even as the environment made filming difficult, Theron refused to complain. 

He said crew members tried to shield the actors from the harsh conditions, but Theron continued working through “massive discomfort” without complaint.

“I’ve known her for so long, and she is one of those people who won’t complain, ever,” he added. 

“When she finally had to say, ‘I literally—I can’t keep my eyes open,’ she was angry. That’s her. She is seriously tough.”

Theron has recently spoken about her own perspective on her career and action work, saying she hopes her children—Jackson, 12, and August, 9—will one day appreciate her stunt-heavy roles. 

The actress has often performed physically demanding sequences, including a helicopter stunt in The Old Guard 2, which she described as challenging but carefully managed on set.

While her daughters are currently unimpressed by her Hollywood career, Theron said she hopes they will eventually recognize her achievements and “give her props” for her work.