Matt Damon and Casey Affleck play complete strangers thrown into their first heist in the new action comedy 鈥� ." The robbery of a corrupt politician goes very wrong, and their characters are left on the run in Boston (with Damon鈥檚 character鈥檚 therapist, played by , in tow).
The film is written by Affleck and Chuck MacLean and directed by . It is a throwback to the kind of movies that people say don鈥檛 get made anymore, like 鈥淢idnight Run,鈥� with a stacked cast of great character actors (Alfred Molina, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ron Perlman, Toby Jones, Ving Rhames and so on). And it's also completely modern: It鈥檚 made by a streaming company, AppleTV+ (playing in select theaters now and streaming Friday) with Damon and Ben Affleck鈥檚 .
Damon, Affleck and Chau spoke to The Associated Press about the film, shared histories and old jokes. A fair amount of 鈥済entle ribbing,鈥� as Chau called it, ensued.
Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.
AP: Doug Liman said going to Boston and making a film with Damon and the Affleck brothers was like being dropped into someone else鈥檚 family. Hong, did that ring true for you?
CHAU: It felt very family barbeque, and I was just hoping I could bring a yummy dish. I love being able to see the back and forth between these two and all of the gentle ribbing that went on.
AP: Casey, what was the impetus for writing a comedy?
AFFLECK: I wasn鈥檛 expecting that anyone was just going to send me their great comedy and ask me to come do it. So I thought I鈥檇 better come up with one of my own. (Chuck) had a really good idea and some great characters in it. He didn鈥檛 really want to work on it anymore, and so he said, why don鈥檛 you take it and see what you can do. I did that, but that was just sort of the beginning of it.
AP: I鈥檝e had multiple friends say recently how they rewatch 鈥淢anchester by the Sea鈥� because 鈥渋t鈥檚 funnier than you remember.鈥�
DAMON: Maybe not so much in that movie.
AFFLECK: I thought that I鈥檇 done some comedy in the past. But everyone has said, like 鈥渨ow it鈥檚 really good to see you try comedy this time.鈥� I guess it never landed as funny in the past.
AP: And Matt, you tossed out Liman鈥檚 name. What made you think of him?
DAMON: I love all of Doug鈥檚 movies and I love working with him too. He has a way of taking something that might be down the middle and just kind of tilting it off kilter a little bit in a really fun way
AP: You had a huge, shared moment with 鈥淭he Bourne Identity," but around that time, there were also some articles about his process and 鈥�.鈥� I wonder how that fits with the Artists Equity model? Does it feel like taking a gamble?
DAMON: No. And one thing that I really wanted to do with this movie, and that we did, was Artists Equity and Doug and me put up our own money for overages. So, if there were overages, they were going to fall on us personally. I was really happy to do that because I feel like he鈥檚 been unfairly kind of painted with this brush for 20 years. I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 any better way to validate how you feel about somebody than putting your own paycheck up and saying, 鈥渓ook I believe in him so much that if we go over budget, I鈥檒l pay for it.鈥� The process is chaotic creatively, but that鈥檚 a very different thing from being reckless or irresponsible.
AFFLECK: I was willing to put my paycheck up, but it was so insignificant to the budget that it wouldn鈥檛 have made much of a difference.
AP: You鈥檝e been in a number of movies together, and even several where you don鈥檛 actually share any scenes.
DAMON: That鈥檚 Chris Nolan. I feel like he likes both of us, but he doesn鈥檛 trust us together. In 鈥淚nterstellar鈥� he put us on entirely different planets. But in 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥� we鈥檙e on the same planet, and my character actually refers to him. I feel like we鈥檙e slowly getting closer, and I鈥檓 hoping that eventually Chris has a movie where we can be together on screen.
AFFLECK: I heard the prequel to 鈥淥ppenheimer.鈥�
DAMON: 鈥淕roves and Pash.鈥�
AP: Hong, you went to college in Boston after 鈥淕ood Will Hunting鈥� came out. Did that movie loom large in your mind?
CHAU: Yeah, that was the only reason I decided to go to college period. But I mean, who hasn鈥檛 heard 鈥渉ow do you like them apples鈥� a billion times in their life. It鈥檚 a movie that鈥檚 so iconic and memorable.
DAMON: By the way, that鈥檚 the one line that my dad, when he read the script, he said 鈥淢atthew, this is just not going to work.鈥� And then after that he said he鈥檇 never give me a note again.
AP: Were you feeling nostalgic about those days, shooting this movie in Boston?
DAMON: I feel that way when I walk around the city sometimes. But when you鈥檙e shooting, you鈥檙e very aware during production you鈥檙e basically lighting money on fire. So all of your energy is towards making the day. There鈥檚 not a lot of time for nostalgia.
AP: And Ben was involved as a producer but no role for him here?
DAMON: He was running the company. Somebody needed to stay in the office. But he was really active in the pre-production stage, reading everything and giving notes and then in post. We鈥檙e looking for as many ways to work together as possible. Casey writes and produces, directs and acts, and Ben is the same, and I鈥檓 the same. We try to partner up in any way that we can. It鈥檚 fun to play different roles in different ways. I鈥檓 looking at the third act of life or the second half or whatever you want to call it, and it鈥檚 like, I love my job so much and the only thing better than doing it, is doing it with people that I care about and love and respect and admire.
AP: There were quite a few jabs about Matt鈥檚 age. Were those all Casey Affleck originals?
DAMON: Those were all improvised on the day.
AFFLECK: Those are things I鈥檝e heard other people say about Matt and I thought they were funny, and I wanted to put them in a movie.
DAMON: It鈥檚 funny because in 鈥淥cean鈥檚 12鈥� George was in his late 40s and . And we were talking about it on set, and I think it was that day Casey made the joke about me being 60. So, he鈥檚 just trotting out the same old.
AFFLECK: He was like 48?
DAMON: I think he was like 45. And you go how old are you 48? And he鈥檚 like 48? And you go 52. (Editor's note: Clooney was 43).
AFFLECK: It was actually 56. A long time ago. And now he鈥檚 running for president.
DAMON: Oh yeah, let鈥檚 start that up with the AP. It鈥檚 a scoop.
AFFLECK: George said yes! He鈥檚 going to do it.
DAMON: You heard it from Casey Affleck.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
