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The 1996 movie that became the hardest of Matt Damon’s career: “I did what I thought I had to do”
Matt Damon has described his role in the 1996 military thriller *Courage Under Fire* as the most challenging of his career. Playing the emaciated medic Andrew Ilario required him to lose substantial weight without professional guidance, causing health problems that needed medical treatment after filming.
Damon reportedly reached 139 pounds by eating mainly chicken breast, a regimen he devised himself because he had no chef or specialist support. He later required prescribed medication for two years to address the effects on his body; the experience appears to have discouraged him from making such extreme physical transformations again.
In short
- Damon’s toughest role was in *Courage Under Fire*.
- His self-directed weight loss harmed his health.
- Recovery reportedly required two years of medication.
Explained simply
"Courage Under Fire" is a 1996 military thriller in which Matt Damon played a medic named Andrew Ilario. To prepare for the role, Damon undertook an extreme physical transformation that he has since described as the most challenging of his professional career.
Damon lost a significant amount of weight to portray the emaciated character, reaching 139 pounds through a diet he designed himself, consisting mainly of chicken breast. He received no professional guidance from a chef or nutritionist during this process, and the experience caused health complications that required medical treatment lasting two years after filming concluded.
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