Matt Damon lucked out and landed in a “fairy tale” when he was forced to quarantine in Dalkey, Ireland in March.
The actor was shooting on location for Ridley Scott’s new film, “The Last Duel,” when the coronavirus pandemic forced Damon and his family to stay put in the idyllic locale.
Damon had nothing but praise for his “incredible” new home during an interview with the “Fully Charged with Graham & Nathan” radio show on Wednesday.
“It’s one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever been,” Damon told the two hosts of the show, who’d been long campaigning for the megastar actor to speak with them. “We’ve got this incredible setup in this place, and it’s absolutely gorgeous.”
Damon said that his family ― like everyone else ― must stay within 2 kilometers (a little over 1 mile) of their home during lockdown. But that’s fine with him.
“I mean, 2 kilometers of here, there’s trees and forests and woods and oceans, I can’t think of any place else you’d rather want to be in a 2-kilometer radius of,” he gushed. “It feels like a fairy tale here.”
Locals have also taken to their newest resident and are especially protective of Damon. Nathan O’Reilly, one of the hosts of the radio show, said he was even kicked out of a Dalkey Facebook group when he reached out asking if anyone knew how to get Damon to appear on the show.
“I laughed so hard when I heard this story,” Damon said. “That’s when I realized how great this place was and how protective everybody here is.”
It’s like he was “Bourne” to be there.
A New York Times piece published in April about Damon’s quarantine hideout revealed just how much residents didn’t want to talk about ― or bother ― their famous new neighbor.
“Dalkey is surrounded by the sea,” resident Cornelius Hibernis O’Flaherty told the publication at the time via Facebook. “In these bright and sunny lockdown days with the air fresh and the birdsong everywhere, Matt and his family should be left alone to enjoy time out amidst the natural spring splendour.”
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