Matt Damon Ditches New York City For Los Angeles

Matt Damon is ready to leave the Big Apple behind.

The actor who made New York City his home for the past few years said he is taking his family back to Hollywood, where they have more friends.

“Basically all of our friends with little kids are out there,” Damon said on the Today show. “We’re a little conflicted. We love it here, we’re really happy here and New York will always be here. It might just turn out to be a little jaunt out there and then a return…. It’s hard to leave here.”

The star of The Bourne Identity and his wife, Luciana, left Los Angeles in 2009 to start living in New York. He said friends like Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are back in California, however.

But Matt Damon predicted it wouldn’t be a long-term move.

“I’ll probably be back in a couple of months,” he said.

Damon has been doing the press circuit in support of his newest movie, Elysium. The science fiction movie shows a buff and shaved-head Damon, a transformation the actor said took a lot of work.

“It was really hard because I love to eat and drink!” Damon told People magazine at a screening of the movie this week. “It’s very hard to motivate me to get in shape.”

The 42-year-old actor got in shape with a strict diet along with a four-hours-a-day workout routine that included weight lifting and cardio.

Director Neill Blokamp helped give Damon some motivation by showing him pictures of Elysium’s lead character Max, a beefed-up guy with an exoskeleton strength suit.

“I went okay, this is definitely worth it,” Damon says.

Someone else loved the change — his wife Luciana.

“I think she likes the variety,” he said. “When I did The Informant, I put on 40 lbs. and I was like, ‘You kind of like this guy too?’ I’m trying to talk her into [liking] that guy because that’s the guy I’m most comfortable being.”

Matt Damon now has a chance to maintain his ripped physique. Los Angeles has a lot of great health food stores.

[Image via TriStar Pictures]