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‘Oppenheimer’ stars Matt Damon, Emily Blunt on being neighbors and the one thing they'll never do together
By Stephanie Giang-Paunon
Published July 13, 2023
The friendship dynamic between Hollywood stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt shines not only on the silver screen but also when cameras aren’t rolling.
Damon, 52, and Blunt, 40, star in Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated war drama "Oppenheimer" and told Fox News Digital what it’s like to also live in the same building.
Blunt, who’s married to John Krasinski and has two daughters with the actor — Hazel, 9, and Violet, 6 — said "it’s the best" having "The Bourne Identity" star under the same roof.
Emily Blunt plays the character "Kitty" in the war drama "Oppenheimer." (Getty Images)
"We do have fun dinner parties. … I love living in the same building," Blunt admitted.
However, the "Devil Wears Prada" star revealed one thing she and Damon will never do as neighbors.
"I've never read lines with Matt Damon, and I never will," Blunt said, laughing with Damon.
"I don’t want your notes or your thoughts, ever," she joked.
Emily Blunt hugs Matt Damon at the photo call for "Oppenheimer" in Trafalgar Square July 12, 2023, in London. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Luciana Barroso, left, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski are longtime friends and neighbors. (D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)
The "Good Will Hunting" star equally enjoys having Blunt live close by and dished on something else they have in common.
"We both go to her husband for advice," Damon said.
"We do. Everyone comes to John for advice, your wife included. ‘How do I deal with Matt Damon?’" Blunt joked.
The last film Blunt and Damon starred in together was 2011's "The Adjustment Bureau."
WATCH: ‘OPPENHEIMER’ STARS MATT DAMON, EMILY BLUNT ‘LOVE LIVING IN THE SAME BUILDING’
Emily Blunt and Matt Damon attend the premiere of "The Adjustment Bureau" at the Ziegfeld Theatre, Feb. 14, 2011, in New York City. (Getty Images)
According to The Wall Street Journal, Blunt and Krasinski purchased two adjacent places in the most expensive apartment in Brooklyn near Damon’s nearly $17 million penthouse.
Although Blunt and Damon don’t read lines together, both stars talked to Fox News Digital about their roles in the explosive film "Oppenheimer."
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer," by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin, the film stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer and Blunt as his wife, biologist and botanist Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer.
Attending a photo call for "Oppenheimer" in London's Trafalgar Square in London, July 12, 2023, are from left, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh and Matt Damon. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Academy Award nominee Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr. and more star alongside Murphy, Damon and Blunt.
Oscar winner Damon portrayed Gen. Leslie Groves Jr., director of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret program led by Murphy’s character Oppenheimer that designed and developed the first atomic bomb during World War II.
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Damon told Fox News Digital how he prepared to take on the role.
"I started researching and thinking about playing this character," he began.
"It was really amazing learning about what they did and how they did it.… Gen. Groves was a brilliant guy and not well-liked at all by the scientists because there was this constant tension between the military and the scientists.… There was this real tension that I think the script… covered really very, very well."
Matt Damon plays Gen. Groves in "Oppenheimer." (Getty Images)
Blunt admitted her character Kitty "wasn’t an easy woman to be around."
"She was not a nurturing mother. She was… as they said of Kitty… she didn't do small talk. She only did big talk. And that's so true of the force that she was.… She was definitely not a conformist to the 1940s, '50s ideal housewife. She was not," Blunt noted.
She added that although her character was not fit to be a mother at times, she always stood by her husband, Oppenheimer.
"She worshiped him, and she adored him… supported him and was his greatest confidant. And yet I'm sure they had a very tempestuous marriage. But it's what made her so exciting to play."
Emily Blunt and John Krasinski share two daughters — Hazel, 9, and Violet, 6. (Emma McIntyre via Getty Images)
Despite Blunt’s character not being motherly, the "Mary Poppins" star proved the opposite in real life.
Blunt recently revealed on the "Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi" podcast that she’s briefly taking a step back from Hollywood to focus on her family and raising her two children with Krasinski.
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Damon also likes to find time to spend with his family and even brought them along to the "Oppenheimer" premiere in Paris.
The actor stepped out on the red carpet with three of his four children at Cinema Le Grand Rex. His children’s friends appeared to have accompanied Damon’s family on the carpet.
Matt Damon brought his daughters Stella Damon, Gia Damon and Alexia Barroso to the "Oppenheimer" premiere at Cinema Le Grand Rex July 11, 2023, in Paris. (Getty Images)
His three daughters — Stella, Gia and Alexia — were all smiles as they hugged Damon at the star-studded event. His daughter Isabella was not photographed at the time.
Damon shares four daughters with his wife of 17 years, Luciana Barroso. Alexia is from Barroso’s previous relationship.
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From left, Luciana Barroso, Alexia Barroso, Stella Damon, Isabella Damon and Matt Damon attend the Amazon Studios' World Premiere of "AIR" at Regency Village Theatre March 27, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
In March, Damon also made a rare appearance with his daughters at the "AIR" premiere, his recent movie with longtime friend Ben Affleck.
The two have been friends for decades, first meeting when Damon was 10 and Affleck was 8. In previous interviews, both actors expressed that they each had a love for acting at an early age, which drew them to one another.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have been friends since they were kids. (Getty Images)
The duo's breakout project was the 1997 movie "Good Will Hunting."
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Both Damon and Affleck have been dominating the box office for decades with the likes of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
When Fox News Digital asked what the secret was to staying on top, Damon smiled and laughed.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon hold up their Oscars after winning in the original screenplay category during the 70th Academy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium. The two won for "Good Will Hunting." (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
"I'm just grateful that you put Ben and I in the same category as Tom Cruise because we've idolized him. Thank you for that. I don't even need to answer the question," Damon said.
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"I love my job," Damon added. "I think one thing Tom's always been good about is really expressing to everybody how much he cares about his job, and I totally agree with him and that's how Ben and I feel.
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"That's all we ever wanted to do since we were kids. And we love it. And the only reason we get to work is if people go to the movies, so I feel an enormous gratitude to moviegoers."
"Oppenheimer" is in theaters July 21.
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