Clint Eastwood was all over the idea of having Matt Damon star as Francois Pienaar in his epic flick Invictus. The story revolves around Nelson Mandela’s first term as President of South Africa and his belief that rugby would unite the nation.

 It wasn’t like Eastwood knew a whole lot about the real-life South African rugby captain or Mandela’s plan for that matter. It’s just that the director knew the role was demanding and that Damon would do all the research necessary to put a solid spin on the character.

Click onto media bar for the reasons why Clint Eastwood chose Matt Damon to co-star with Morgan Freeman in Invictus.

 Invictus, which is currently in theaters, has already amassed acting and directing nominations from several critics groups for Eastwood, Freeman and Damon.