Before Matt Damon conquered Troy, reclaimed Ithaca, and became one of Hollywood’s most celebrated leading men, he was simply another student chasing the spotlight at Harvard. Decades later, that forgotten chapter returned with an unexpected twist, prompting Damon to laugh, “I can’t believe she would say that,” after discovering that the woman he once shared the stage with would go on to become one of the most powerful voices in America. And while she was destined to shape history, Damon would set sail on a journey toward cinematic immortality. 

Long before Ithaca called him home, here’s what the actor had to say as one remarkable Harvard memory unexpectedly found its way back into the spotlight.

During an appearance on CBS Mornings, Matt Damon and his The Odyssey co-star Anne Hathaway reacted after Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told Adriana Diaz about sharing a scene with Damon in Harvard’s drama class, where the pair performed an excerpt from Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. Reacting to the memory, Damon admitted he could not believe Jackson still remembered him, joking that she was now a Supreme Court justice. He also reflected on how that very same classroom later became the place where he and Ben Affleck workshopped Good Will Hunting, the screenplay that launched their Hollywood careers.

“I can’t believe she would say, ‘I know that guy,’ when it’s like, she’s a Supreme Court justice. Isn’t that amazing? It’s amazing. It’s amazing,” Damon told on CBS Mornings.

Years after that Harvard classroom moment recently revealed on CBS Mornings, Damon is once again leading a story destined for history, this time on the shores of Ithaca. Fresh off the theatrical release of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Damon is earning widespread acclaim for his transformative portrayal of Odysseus. To embody the battle-weary king, the actor reportedly slimmed down to 167 pounds and even spent hours deliberately straining his voice between takes so his performance would naturally reflect a warrior weathered by decades of war and loss. 

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However, if Harvard marked the beginning of Matt Damon’s journey, 2026 is proving just how far that journey has carried him.

Fresh off Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Damon has delivered one of the most acclaimed performances of his career as the battle-weary Odysseus. The commitment paid off as The Odyssey stormed the global box office with a record-breaking $117 million opening weekend, becoming the biggest debut of Damon’s career as a leading man, the highest live-action opening of 2026, and Universal Pictures’ biggest R-rated opening ever.

The momentum did not stop in theaters. Earlier this year, Damon reunited with longtime collaborator Ben Affleck for Netflix’s The Rip, which amassed an impressive 136 million views to become one of the platform’s biggest streaming successes of 2026. And with a new sci-fi spectacle from Oscar-winning duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert already on the horizon, alongside another Jason Bourne adventure in early development with Edward Berger, Damon appears far from finished adding new milestones to an already extraordinary career.

From an unforgettable Harvard classroom to the battle-scarred shores of Ithaca, Matt Damon’s journey continues to come full circle in the most unexpected ways. And if 2026 is any indication, the actor’s remarkable voyage is still far from reaching its final destination.

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What did you think of Matt Damon’s reaction to Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Harvard memory? Let us know in the comments.