A big thank you to everybody who sent in questions to Bourne Identity star Matt Damon. We only had time to get through a small fraction of the hundreds of questions, but we've picked out the best and here is what he said.
Why did you take on the role of Jason Bourne? Was it the character that attracted you? Irfan Ali
It was a combination of the script and the director. I thought the script was really interesting and really cleverly done. So that combined with Doug Liman [director], who comes out of the independent world and has never done a movie like this before, I thought it was a nice chaotic combination.
Were you nervous taking on a character beloved by millions? Carrie Wade
It was a matter of talking to Doug and he convinced me that I could do it. I was definitely worried about taking on a role beloved to millions of people as I'm not the first person to think of for a movie like this. But seeing Doug's vision for the movie, it seemed like a good opportunity, so I jumped on it.
How did you prepare for the part, not just the action scenes but the character? Debbie Steer
Obviously there was the martial arts, the boxing and the firearms training and I spent five months doing that. But the most challenging aspect was the fact that the character had amnesia so how do you play a guy with no memory? But very early on Doug said this isn't an illness movie, we're not doing Rain Man here, the amnesia is a plot device. This is a character driven, action movie and the audience will have to suspend their disbelief and just go with the amnesia. So we decided his amnesia wouldn't be a physical issue and his baring would be the same before he lost his memory - the way he walked, stood, listened etc.
Are you a Robert Ludlum fan? Catherine Hans
Yes. You can't get through an airport in America without passing the whole shelf of Robert Ludlum novels so I had read the book, The Bourne Identity, about ten years ago and I'm still a fan.
Are there plans to adapt the other two books in the trilogy, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum? Chris Marks, Craig Dearden
I'd like to, if there was a great script. If we could make the films as good or better then this one then I'd do it. But I wouldn't want to do it just to milk the cash cow.
If you could take on another identity, whose would it be? Caroline Pitt
I've been asked this question a lot! I wouldn't want to be anybody else. I like my life because I'm allowed to be other people for short periods of time, without been committed to an insane asylum and I actually get paid for it. So I don't think I'd trade.
Does it surprise you that the critics were shocked you pulled off the action man role? Rebecca Cozens
I don't know. I never really thought about that. I didn't read a lot of reviews but I heard they were good. I guess it was a departure to some extent for me but I don't spend too much time thinking about critics. I would have jumped off a building long ago if I was worried about what the press thought.
Do you prefer action/serious films or the comedy roles like the Kevin Smith movies? Brenda Clark
Well I'm really lucky in that I don't have to choose just one genre. I can go from project to project without having any strategy. I just pick on an individual basis. If it's funny, a good comedy, then I'd love to do it. I actually haven't done a lot of comedy except for Kevin Smith's stuff, so that's something I'd like to do more of.
Is there going to be a role for you in Kevin Smith's upcoming film Jersey Girl? David South
Yes, a really brief cameo. That's all.
Five years ago on the Oprah Winfrey Show you said you couldn't even wrap your head around all this success. Five years on, is it still as exciting? Elijah Jared Stone
It's still pretty exciting. I'm really happy with the work aspect. It's really great working on projects that I like and that I'm proud of when they are finished. I also think I've got a better handle on my life as a whole now, everything seems to have calmed down a little bit so I feel like I can live a relatively normal life and I'm very happy about that.
Have you ever turned down a movie and think six months down the line that it was a mistake? Alex Lochrie
Not yet! I'm sure it'll happen but so far it's been good. I don't know if it's luck but I haven't seen a movie come out that I've been offered or that I wish I had done.
Was there a film that made you decide you wanted to be an actor? Lia Palios
A movie that had a huge impact on me was Star Wars. I was about seven-years-old and I remember walking to the theatre with my brother and we would go again and again and again. It made me see what movies were capable of doing - transporting you to an entirely different world. I thought that was the greatest thing ever but I've always been somewhat of a fantasiser.
Do you ever fancy writing your own script again? Marcus Patton
I'd really like to. I was just talking to Ben [Affleck] about it recently. He is doing Jersey Girl right now and then he's doing two more movies so he won't be free for a while. But when his schedule clears up, we really want to write something together. But no ideas yet on what it could be.
When I saw your film Good Will Hunting I was going through a very difficult time and the whole sentiment of the film was very influential on me. Are you aware that what you do might mean so much to people? Does this influence your decision when choosing roles or projects? Nick Skidmore
Great question! Yes it does have an effect. Some people said that to us after we made Good Will Hunting and that was incredible meaningful to us, especially because our sense of ownership of that film was so great as we thought it up.
It's such a long process to take a little idea and nurture it and eventually write a screenplay, then shoot it, do the post production, and finally release it. So I think the kind of writing we do in the future would have to have an impact. You wouldn't want to do all that work on something totally frivolous. You'd want it to represent something about yourself, that says things you think are important.
