Matt Damon's character in The Martian is mistakenly presumed deceased and left behind on Mars.
Matt Damon . He continued to garner praise from critics for his roles as the eponymous character in Saving Private Ryan ( 1998 ) , the antihero in The Talented Mr. Ripley ( 1999 ) , a fallen angel in Dogma ( 1999 ) , an energy analyst in Syriana ( 2005 ) , and a corrupt Irish-American police officer in The Departed ( 2006 ) . The Martian (film) . Matt Damon stars as an astronaut who is mistakenly presumed dead and left behind on Mars .