Damon entered Harvard in 1988, where he appeared in student theater plays, such as "Burn This" and "A... My Name is Alice". Later, he made his film debut at the age of 18, with a single line of dialogue in the romantic comedy "Mystic Pizza". As a student at Harvard, he acted in small roles such as in the TNT original film "Rising Son" and the ensemble prep-school drama "School Ties". He left the university in 1992, a semester - 12 credits - shy of completion of his Bachelor of Arts in English to feature in "Geronimo: An American Legend" in Los Angeles, erroneously expecting the movie to become a big success. Damon next appeared as an opiate-addicted soldier in 1996's "Courage Under Fire", for which he lost in 100 days on a self-prescribed diet and fitness regimen. "Courage Under Fire" gained him critical notice, when "The Washington Post" labeled his performance "impressive".