Damon took 6 months to learn a S. African accent

Despite his difficulties, the 39-year-old American star admitted he enjoyed working with the South African rugby star he played.

The actor, who plays rugby player Francois Pienaar in new film ‘Invictus’, struggled to get to grips with the dialect and was amazed at how hard he found it.

Matt told BANG Showbiz: “The accent took about six months. It took a lot to get it. They talk real different down there.”

Despite his difficulties, the 39-year-old American star admitted he enjoyed working with the South African rugby star in order to get his portrayal as accurate as possible.

He said: “It’s a big responsibility. It didn’t help that I liked Francois so much. I really wanted him to like the film.

“It’s such an incredible moment in South Africa’s history. I think everybody felt it who worked on the movie. It was different to other movies.”

'Invictus' tells the story of how Nelson Mandela - played by Morgan Freeman - and Francois joined forces to lead the South African rugby team to an unlikely 1995 World Cup victory over the All Blacks and unify the racially fragmented country following the end of apartheid.