Oppenheimer: Why Matt Damon Had A Christopher Nolan Clause In His Couples Therapy Negotiations

Nothing is more important to Matt Damon than his family, but he's not going to let that get in the way of his creative relationship with director Christopher Nolan. Damon, who plays historical figure Leslie Groves in Nolan's new film, "Oppenheimer," revealed that he and his wife have agreed to let him drop everything when Nolan gives him a call.

Damon sat down with Entertainment Weekly for a roundtable discussion alongside Nolan and his "Oppenheimer" co-stars, where he revealed that he and his wife, Luciana Bozán, had carved out special exceptions in their relationship while in couples therapy. According to the actor, he and his spouse had agreed he would take some time off after years of nonstop work, but he still didn't want to pass up the opportunity to work with Nolan. Prior to working things out with Bozán, Damon had starred in "Interstellar," Nolan's space travel epic.

"I had — not to get too personal — negotiated extensively with my wife that I was taking time off," Damon said during the interview. "I had been in Interstellar, and then Chris put me on ice for a couple of movies, so I wasn't in the rotation, but I actually negotiated in couples therapy — this is a true story — the one caveat to my taking time off was if Chris Nolan called."

Over the course of his career, Christopher Nolan has established himself as one of the most exciting filmmakers of his generation. With a flair for dramatic twists and movies that often feel more like thought experiments rendered in IMAX, he is one of a handful of directors whose movies sell based on their name alone. Of course, it helps that he works with some of the biggest stars in the business, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey, and Matt Damon.

Aside from his enthusiasm for working with Nolan, Damon explained the other reason he negotiated an exception to his family time for Nolan's projects. According to the "Oppenheimer" star, Nolan has a habit of calling with unexpected job offers. "This is without knowing whether or not he was working on anything," Damon said regarding his Nolan exception, "because he never tells you. He just calls you out of the blue. And so, it was a moment in my household."

Damon has indeed been busy, and the fruits of his most recent labor with Nolan arrive in theaters this week. "Oppenheimer" tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, as he leads the research that results in the invention of the nuclear bomb, giving humanity the capacity for self-annihilation. Damon plays Leslie Groves, head of the United States Office of the Chief of Engineers, who was the military head of the Manhattan Project.