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Oppenheimer’s Matt Damon dishes on unforgettable kiss with Scarlett Johansson

Matt is married to Luciana Barosso

Faye James
Senior Editor
July 26, 2023
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Sometimes, an unexpected sandwich can make for a memorable kissing scene. Just ask Matt Damon, who recently shared his "hellish" experience filming a post-lunch kissing scene with Scarlett Johansson. 

The encounter occurred during the shooting of their 2011 film, We Bought a Zoo, and Matt's recounting of the story is as delightful as it is amusing.

The discussion emerged while Matt was participating in LADBible TV's Agree to Disagree alongside his Oppenheimer co-star, Emily Blunt. 

The conversation veered towards whether it's acceptable to tell someone they have bad breath, a situation that both stars agreed should be addressed, albeit delicately. 

Matt Damon poses upon his arrival for the "Premiere" of the movie "Oppenheimer" at the Grand Rex cinema in Paris on July 11, 2023G© Getty Images
Matt Damon poses upon his arrival for the "Premiere" of the movie "Oppenheimer" at the Grand Rex cinema in Paris on July 11, 2023G

A producer then nudged the conversation towards the topic of bad breath during intimate scenes, and that's when Matt's anecdote came to light.

"I had to kiss Scarlett -- had to kiss. Can you imagine how horrible that was for me? -- but we did," Matt confessed, with Emily humorously ribbing him about how terrible the experience must have been.

"It was hell, ok? What happened was we did a shot before lunch and it was like this nice little two-shot that ended in the kiss," he admitted. 

MORE: Emily Blunt on her stuttering battle, lessons for her daughters, John Krasinski's support

Scarlett Johnasson wearing a orange-hued red lip© Getty
Scarlett Johansson

Continuing with his story, Matt explained: "And it was really good. And we went to lunch, and she and I both thought it was over. 

“She ate like an onion sandwich for lunch. And she came in and [We Bought a Zoo director] Cameron Crowe had set the camera up and it was like a tight shot of the kiss. And she goes, 'Oh s**t.' She goes, 'I literally just had an onion sandwich. I thought we did this.'"

While Matt playfully teased Scarlett about her breath, he was quick to clarify that, ordinarily, "her breath smells like roses."

Actors Emily Blunt and Matt Damon attend the premiere of "The Adjustment Bureau" at the Ziegfeld Theatre on February 14, 2011 in New York City.© Getty Images
Actors Emily Blunt and Matt Damon attend the premiere of "The Adjustment Bureau" at the Ziegfeld Theatre on February 14, 2011 in New York City.

Matt and Emily have been conducting a significant amount of press work together recently as they promote the successful Christopher Nolan-directed drama, Oppenheimer. 

Their relationship goes back a long way, thanks to Matt's friendship with Emily's husband, John Krasinski.

Interestingly, John once teased Matt for passing up on the leading role in James Cameron's 2009 blockbuster, Avatar. 

Cast of Oppenheimer walk out of UK premiere ahead of actors’ strike announcement

In a CNN interview with Chris Wallace, Matt reminisced about telling John he had to decline the part due to his contractual obligations to the Bourne franchise. 

John's cheeky response was: "Nothing in your life would be different today if you had done that movie, except you and I would be having this conversation in space."