Matt Damon admits he ‘had trouble’ watching new Andrew Scott-led ‘Ripley’

Matt Damon isn’t rushing to binge-watch the new Netflix Ripley miniseries, despite its rave reviews.

Reflecting on his own portrayal of the iconic con artist Tom Ripley in 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, the 53-year-old actor opened up about his hesitation in a recent interview with IndieWire.

"I don’t know,” Damon said when asked if he would reprise the role. “I associate the one that we did so much with Anthony Minghella, who’s passed away now, that I don’t know,” he elaborated.

The new Netflix adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel, helmed by Steven Zaillian, retells the story of Tom Ripley, a scam artist in early-'60s New York who gets entangled in a world of wealth and deceit. This iteration features Andrew Scott as Ripley, Johnny Flynn as Dickie Greenleaf, and Dakota Fanning as Marge Sherwood.

The Oscar-winner admitted, “I even had trouble watching the new one, as beautiful as it was and as great as everybody was.” His struggle with watching the series stems from his fond memories of the original film, which he shared with the film’s late director.

“It was hard at first for me to sink back into it just because I have so many great memories, but they’re all wrapped up in these personal feelings about the experience,” Damon explained.

The 1999 film also starred Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Cate Blanchett. Minghella, who directed the film and was known for his work on Truly Madly Deeply, The English Patient, and Cold Mountain, passed away in 2008 at the age of 54.