Hollywood superstar Matt Damon is no stranger to Australia, having lived next door to bestie Chris Hemsworth in Byron Bay.
After relocating back home to the United States, Damon and his family have touched back down in Australia for The Bourne Identity star to begin filming Thor: Love and Thunder.
The film is expected to create up to 2,500 jobs in NSW and use the services of around 1,650 businesses. The production is expected to spend around AUD $178 million and Marvel Studios will also provide a local trainee scheme to target skills shortages and get more Australians into the film industry.
Damon, his wife Luciana Barroso and their four daughters — Alexia, Isabella, Stella and Gia — are all completing the mandatory 14-day quarantine in NSW.
The genetically-blessed lead man will take up residence here for the next few months and is excited to show his family all the country has to offer.
“I’m so excited that my family and I will be able to call Australia home for the next few months. Australian film crews are world-renowned for their professionalism and are a joy to work with,” Damon said in a statement, before adding that the “14 days of quarantine will be well worth it.”
“Australia definitely is the lucky country, and I can’t wait to show my family Australia’s down to earth people, breathtaking scenery and diverse culture.”
Damon also thanked the “enormous support” provided by the NSW and Australian Governments, saying the project and his relocation “would not have been possible” without them.
According to the release, Damon and his family’s relocation and quarantine has been “privately arranged and funded”, to ensure that their entry “will in no way impact or reduce the number of spaces for Australians overseas waiting to return home nor create any burden to the Australian taxpayer whatsoever.”
The arrival of the film’s star and the film itself represents an “economic boom” for NSW according to NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet.
“The recent announcements by several studios and film production companies, including Marvel, represent a fantastic economic boom for NSW with numerous new jobs and opportunities for local NSW businesses and the likely positive effects on mental health that will hopefully come with increased job opportunities in the NSW community,” said Perrottet in a statement.