Matt Damon unprepared for new era involving daughter Isabella: 'It's a lot'

Matt Damon is wondering where the time has gone as he prepares to say goodbye to his eldest daughter Isabella.

The Instigators star, 53, and his wife Luciana, 48, only have several weeks left with the 18-year-old before she moves out of the family home and heads to New York University in the fall.

But her upcoming departure is a "surreal" experience for her dad, who admitted in a recent interview that it felt like only yesterday that she was just a baby.

"I called my friends and asked them how they dealt with it," he told E! News during an interview with his The Instigators co-stars Casey Affleck and Hong Chau.

"It's a lot," he continued. "It's a surreal kind of time and the way it operates in your life, the older you get because it just feels like I was holding her yesterday."

Warning Hong – who has two kids under the age of four – Matt added: "To our relatively new parents, it happens quickly."

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Isabella graduated from high school in June and was watched on by her proud parents and her younger sister Gia, 15.

An Instagram post shared by her alma mater at the time read: "Congratulations, Bella! Bella, your unique blend of observational wit, thoughtful prose, and unwavering self-assurance has left an indelible mark on our community."

Her high school added: "Your confident embrace of your identity serves as a beacon of inspiration for all of us."

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Alongside Isabella and Gia, Matt and Luciana also share a daughter Stella, 13. He is also the stepfather of Luciana's daughter Alexia, 25, from her marriage to Arbello Barroso.

Isabella's birth in 2006 marked a turning point in Matt’s life, shifting his priorities. "I really used to have no life outside movies," he told the UK's Sunday Express .

"I'd work all day, go to the gym, and go to sleep," he added. "Now I have a place to be, so I come home after work."

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Matt and Isabella have a close relationship and he has described her as "one of the funniest people" he's ever met.

The actor also noted that Isabella tends to watch his films only if the reviews are less than favorable. "If the reviews come out and they're terrible, then she'll watch it," he shared with E! News in 2021.

"If they come out and they're good, she's going to pass."

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He humorously added: "She's looking for ammunition all the time. She's like one of the funniest people I've ever met. She's really cool."

Sharing an example of Isabella's reaction to one of his movies, Matt once said on CBS Sunday Mornings : "She just likes to give me [expletive].

"My daughter said, 'Yeah, remember that movie you did, The Wall?' I said, 'It was called The Great Wall.' She goes, 'Dad there's nothing great about that movie.'"

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He added: "She keeps my feet firmly on the ground."

Isabella will no doubt still see her family often as they primarily live in New York, splitting their time between a $16 million penthouse in Brooklyn Heights and an $8 million estate in Bedford Hills.