Matt Damon knew Pedro Pascal would be a star even when his part would be cut from films

Matt Damon says he immediately recognized Pedro Pascal’s talent long before Pascal became one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stars, even when his role was so minor that it was ultimately cut from the film.

Damon made the revelation during a recent appearance on The Howard Stern Show, where he and Ben Affleck were promoting their new film The Rip. Recalling his experience on the 2011 sci‑romance The Adjustment Bureau, Damon described the moment he first worked alongside Pascal, who at the time had a tiny role as a maitre’d.

“I’ve done cameos and things, and it’s a very, very, very difficult thing to do,” Damon said on air, emphasising how challenging it can be for an actor to make an impact in a brief appearance. “In fact, this is really interesting… I did a movie with Emily Blunt called The Adjustment Bureau, and we were shooting a scene in New York, and we came in, and there was this throwaway part of a maitre’d who sat us, and it got cut out of the movie.”

Despite the brevity of the role and its removal from the final cut, Damon said both he and Blunt were struck by the actor’s presence. “But I remember Emily and I went and sat down and this maitre’d walked away, and they cut, and we both looked at each other, and Em goes, ‘That guy’s really f—ing good,’” Damon recalled. “And I said, ‘Yeah, what the f—? That guy was really good. There was something just incredibly interesting, but real and natural…’”

Damon added with a laugh that it was only “years later” that he found out the actor they had admired was Pedro Pascal, now known worldwide for his roles in The Last of Us, The Mandalorian and other major projects. “Not even a day player with anything actually really to do,” Damon said, “just his presence, we both recognised it immediately.”

The anecdote highlights Damon’s eye for talent and Pascal’s natural charisma, even in a small moment that never made the final film. It also underscored how unpredictable Hollywood success can be, with actors sometimes leaving lasting impressions long before they become household names.

Later in the interview, when Stern brought up Damon’s own early career experience delivering a single line in Mystic Pizza, Damon said he didn’t see it as a negative.

“I remember that as being… it was three nights of shooting, because it was a big dinner table scene, and there was a lot of coverage,” he said. “And I just remember being so excited, feeling like I can’t believe that I’m here. All the lights, the crew, the whole thing felt like… I knew I was where I wanted to be. I loved everything about it.”

Damon and Affleck’s chat on The Howard Stern Show offered both personal insights into Hollywood careers and a reminder of how even small moments with fellow actors can foreshadow big futures — especially when the talent is unmistakable.