“People tend to lose interest”: Matt Damon Vowed Never to Date a Celebrity Again After Ugly Breakup With Minnie Driver and Multiple Failed Relationships

SUMMARY

• Matt Damon's split with Minnie Driver became controversial after he did it in a public talk show.
• After several messy breakups, the actor promised never to date fellow Hollywood stars again.
• He married a bartender named Luciana Barroso in 2005.

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Matt Damon has managed to stay out of the media’s attention through the years. Despite being an A-lister, there isn’t anything scandalous or controversy-worthy news about him, unlike his fellow Hollywood actors who remain in the headlines of tabloids.

Credits: Matt Damon in Saving Private Ryan / DreamWorks Pictures

Perhaps it has something to do with his conscious choice not to date a celebrity. He is currently married to his Argentine wife, Luciana Barroso, since 2005, and they share four children. They met in Miami where she worked as a bartender.

Matt Damon Learned His Lesson After Failed Relationships With Fellow Celebrities

Matt Damon had an early start in the Hollywood industry. It was a whirlwind process though, as he failed to finish his studies at Harvard University in order to pursue an acting career. Since then, he never looked back until he became a movie star in the late ‘90s.

For a hotshot like him, it’s inevitable to be drawn to meeting fellow hotshot stars. There are so many stunning women in Hollywood, such as Minnie Driver, whom he met on the set of 1997’s Good Will Hunting. They got attracted to one another, but the romance was short-lived. In fact, they had a very public and messy split. The actor unceremoniously broke up with Driver on a talk show after he stated he was single, and it was a devastating shock to the actress because she thought they were still together.

Credits: Minnie Driver and Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting / Miramax

Damon also went out with Stranger Things star Winona Ryder. They dated for two years and separated in 2000. He also got involved with Argo actress Odessa Whitmire whom he met in 2001. After two years of being together and rumors of engagement, they called it quits in 2003.

In an interview with Boston Magazine, the Saving Private Ryan star said:

If you’re with somebody who’s in the business, it becomes exponentially more severe, the attention does. So I think if you don’t date anybody who’s in the movie business, you’re one step ahead. And if you don’t live a garish or obnoxious lifestyle, people tend to lose interest.

After all those years of his love affairs becoming the content of magazines and television news, Damon got fed up and vowed never to date a fellow celebrity again. His next girlfriend would be Luciana Barroso, a bartender he met in Florida while filming a movie in 2003.

How Matt Damon Met His Wife Luciana Barroso

Credits: Matt Damon in Air / Warner Bros. Pictures

Damon and Barroso have been married for 19 years, which is already considered a great achievement in the chaotic world of Hollywood. After he had his heart broken many times, he thought he wouldn’t get married until he met his wife.

The actor and his crew head out to a bar one night after filming and that’s where he saw Barroso. When people started recognizing him, Damon hid behind the bar and she told him that he might as well help her make some drinks for the customers. He got a lot of tips and it turned out to be a fun night. They made a connection right off the bat and the rest is history.

Written by Ariane Cruz

Articles Published: 2449

Ariane Cruz, Senior Writer. She has been contributing articles for FandomWire since 2021, mostly covering stories about the latest movies and series. With a degree in Communication Arts, she has an in-depth knowledge of print and broadcast journalism. Her other works can also be seen on Screen Rant and CBR.