In March 2024, all eyes were on “Oppenheimer.” Christopher Nolan’s film arrived at the Oscars as the frontrunner, and Matt Damon was part of that phenomenon.
However, the actor had his mind somewhere else. Just a week before the ceremony, his wife, Luciana Barroso, had undergone brain aneurysm surgery.
Damon had kept what happened hidden for more than two years. Now he decided to tell it and explain why the couple were not at the ceremony.
The health problem that Luciana Barroso faced
“My wife had a brain aneurysm,” Damon said in an interview with GQ.
The actor quickly clarified that Luciana is recovered: “She is totally fine, thank God, but she had this brain surgery the week before the Oscars.” He did not give further details about the diagnosis or the operation.
At that moment, the only important thing was to be by her side. That’s why Damon and Barroso did not attend the Dolby Theatre on March 10, 2024.
That night, “Oppenheimer” won seven awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Christopher Nolan, and Best Actor for Cillian Murphy.
The surprise Luciana prepared for him that very night
Although he wasn’t at the ceremony, Luciana felt better just on Oscar day. It was the first time since the surgery that she regained some energy and surprised her husband with a proposal.
She wore a dress and told him: “This time we’re going out.”
This is how the couple joined the post-ceremony party. Damon still gets emotional when he recalls that gesture, especially because it had been barely a week since the operation.
“It was quite heroic on her part and very moving,” he acknowledged.
Why Luciana didn’t want them to miss the celebration
The decision carried a backstory that the two knew very well.
In 2007, Matt Damon hadn’t attended the Oscars either. He was working on “The Bourne Ultimatum,” living in Miami, and had a young daughter. Together with Luciana, they watched the ceremony from bed.
That night, Martin Scorsese won Best Director and “The Departed,” the film Damon had been a part of, received Best Picture.
When the award was announced, the actor realized that he would have liked to be there celebrating with his colleagues. “We should be there,” he told Luciana then.
She hasn’t forgotten that moment. So, even while recovering, she wanted to accompany him to the “Oppenheimer” party so that he wouldn’t miss that important night.
