Coronavirus: ‘Impeccably mannered’ Matt Damon thrills locals by self-isolating in small Irish town

Actor Matt Damon has thrilled locals by self-isolating in a small town in Ireland during the coronavirus lockdown.

The Hollywood superstar had been filming for Ridley Scott’s new film, The Last Duel, before travel bans were put in place in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Damon, 49, has since been self-islolating with his wife and four children in the seaside town of Dalkey, an affluent suburb about 11 miles south-east of Dublin.

The Bourne Identity star had been spotted posing outside a cafe and in a restaurant with fans before Ireland’s lockdown began last month.

Oscar-winner Damon was also snapped going for a swim with his clothes in a bag from Irish grocery store SuperValuIRL, leading locals to quip that he was getting used to the town’s customs.

“Matt Damon going swimming near #Dalkey with his togs in a SuperValuIRL bag – fitting right in!” one wrote on Twitter.

Another wrote: “Matt Damon (huge fan) in Dalkey with a Supervalue bag made my day. Just speaks to how human we all are.

“This virus has no selectivity, does not discriminate and affects us all over the world. I hope Matt is enjoying his stay here.”

Damon, ranked among Forbes magazine’s highest earners in the film industry, was also reportedly spotted jogging in Dalkey, whose residents include U2’s Bono and singer Enya.

The two-time Golden Globe award winner also visited Corner Note cafe with his family on 15 March and posed with “surprised” waitress Mary Caviston.

She told the Irish Mail on Sunday: “He was with his wife and his beautiful children, there were six of them in total, he was the last in and he was wearing a baseball cap, and I did catch the American accent but other than that he was just like any other customer.

“He had a beautiful family. They were all impeccably mannered, so polite, unassuming just really lovely people.”

The Last Duel is an historial drama-thriller film based on the book The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager.

The screenplay is written by Ben Affleck, Nicole Holofcener and Matt Damon. It is Affleck and Damon’s first movie since the release of their award-winning script for Good Will Hunting.

Last month, Damon and his co-stars from the 2011 Contagion movie appeared in a series of videos urging the public to observe social-distancing measures.

“[In the movie] I played a guy who was immune to the hypothetical virus,” Damon said in his clip.

“That was a movie, this is real life. I have no reason to believe I am immune to Covid-19, and neither do you. no matter how young you are, this is a new virus, it’s gonna take some time for our bodies and doctors to understand it, and to understand the best way to protect us.

“Social distancing means staying six feet away from another person. It means not gathering in groups and it means staying home or sheltering in place if that’s what government officials are telling you to do.”