Matt Damon has disclosed that he auditioned for the role of Robin in two distinct Batman film projects during the earlier stages of his career. Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Damon recounted his experiences trying out for the character, first during Tim Burton's tenure with the franchise.
He described the audition process as highly secretive, noting the absence of traditional script excerpts. "It wasn’t like you’re reading a scene with Batman. It was so secretive that it was, like, you’re reading this other scene from some other movie," Damon explained.
Although Robin did not appear in either of Tim Burton's Batman films, this was not Damon's only attempt to portray the Boy Wonder. He later screen-tested for the part in 1993 for the film starring George Clooney and directed by Joel Schumacher.
Damon revealed that Chris O’Donnell was the studio’s preferred choice, but contractual negotiations were ongoing. "I remember Chris O’Donnell already had the part, but they were haggling over money," Damon said. He recounted being flown in as part of the studio's strategy to test other actors while aiming to secure O'Donnell at a lower price. "So the studio was flexing, basically, by flying in two other people to screen test, but they wanted Chris – but they just wanted him for a price." Damon added with a laugh that he was willing to accept a significantly lower salary for the role, stating, "I remember calling up and I was, like, ‘I’ll work for a quarter of what that dude’s working for.’ I was like, ‘I want the job!’"
Despite these near misses, Damon has since collaborated with acclaimed Batman director Christopher Nolan on multiple projects, including Interstellar and Oppenheimer.