Matt Damon missed out on millions after turning down Avatar

Matt Damon missed out on millions by snubbing the chance to star in 'Avatar'.

The 50-year-old actor was offered a tenth of the movie's takings by director James Cameron to play Jake Sully in the 2009 sci-fi epic, which went on to earn $3 billion at the box office and became the highest-grossing movie of all time – costing 'The Bourne Identity' star a fortune.

Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival, Matt said: "I was offered a little movie called 'Avatar'. I will go down in history. You will never meet an actor who turned down more money than me."

The part ended up going to Sam Worthington and Matt quipped that he would have had enough money to send a rocket into space like tycoons Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos.

The 'Departed' actor said: "With these billionaires blasting off into space I probably would have bought a rocket ship, I don't know."

Matt also opened on how he feared for his Hollywood career after two of his films, 'The Legend of Bagger Vance' and 'All the Pretty Horses', flopped at the box office.

He said: "It really is a business and if your stuff isn't being watched, your phone just really does not ring. So I was like, 'Well maybe this is it.'"

Matt's latest movie is 'Stillwater' in which he stars an American oil worker who travels to France to help his estranged daughter after she is accused of murder. In preparation for the role, he spent time with real-life rig men in Oklahoma.

He shared: "They were family men and one guy took us to his house for a barbeque and his daughter pulled out a guitar and started playing church songs. We had a great barbeque and drank some beer and then went and shot shotguns."