Matt Damon described 1995 as a difficult year professionally, after losing several major roles despite limited screen work. He missed out on parts in Primal Fear and Batman Forever, then turned down The Quick and the Dead, before securing a breakthrough in Courage Under Fire.

Damon also revealed that he auditioned for Jimmy Emmett in To Die For but lost the role to Joaquin Phoenix. Although he was disappointed, he credited the audition with introducing him to director Gus van Sant and argued that Phoenix deserved an Oscar nomination for his performance.