How Matt Damon Nearly Killed Himself On This Chicken Diet

Academy Award-winning actor Matt Damon has been to Mars, been in wars and has even lost his mind, but the hardest role of his career, was playing a Desert Storm medic turned heroin addict.

In a Reddit AMA, Damon talked to fans, answered questions and revealed that the hardest thing he ever had to do for a movie role, was put himself on a chicken diet that made him lose over 50 pounds in three months.

The movie was Courage Under Fire (1996) and Damon said at the time, he weighed 190 pounds. By the time they needed to film him with a more slender frame, he had lost 51 pounds, putting him at a paltry 139 pounds.

I think the most challenging role that I’ve ever had, was when I did Courage Under Fire and I had to lose all the weight that I lost on my own, that was the most physically challenging [thing] I’ve ever had to do in my life.

In a past interview with the Star, Damon said, at that time of his life, he would have done anything to get a role. He also revealed that his diet was supervised by no one but himself.

Damon was 25-years-old, cooked the chicken meals himself, and pretty much winged it without the help of a chef, or nutritionist.

If that sad diet wasn’t enough, Mr. Jason Bourne said he ran 13 miles a day, as well.

A doctor later told Damon he could have permanently shrunken his heart and killed himself, so there’s that.

This obviously isn’t the safest route to weight loss, so don’t try to put yourself on this chicken and running diet. You’re not Matt Damon.