Matt Damon’s no ‘sell out’

Matt Damon would “never sell” out a director.

The actor-and-screenwriter says once he has agreed to appear in a movie or has hired a filmmaker for the project he could never get rid of them, even if he didn’t think it was working out, because he’d already committed to the project.

He told Men’s Health magazine: “My movies being really good or watchable always depends on everybody being really good, not just me. I’m particularly sensitive about making sure we secure the best possible people in each role because I am not somebody who can overcome if we don’t.

“And then, for me, once I make that commitment, I never will sell the director out on that project. You cannot change horses midrace. Even if your horse is losing, you ride the horse as hard and as fast as you can. If there was a mistake made, it was made in your initial decision to work with that person.”

Matt – who is currently starring in thriller ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ alongside Emily Blunt – also revealed he and writing partner Ben Affleck never take offence when their ideas are criticised by the other person.

He said: “When one of us comes up with an absolutely f**king horrible idea, which happens all the time, the other person, without batting an eyelash, says ‘That’s a terrible idea.’ And neither of us has our feelings hurt, and we just kind of move on.”

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Matt Damon RTÉ Ten Interview

The ‘True Grit’ star talks about working with the Coen brothers on their new western and his “windbag” character, Texas Ranger LaBoeuf.

Had you wanted to work with Joel and Ethan Coen for sometime?
Matt Damon: Yeah, forever. I first met Joel in 1994 when I did a cable TV movie ['The Good Old Boys'] with his wife Fran [Frances McDormand] down in West Texas. So I had met Joel in West Texas 16 years ago and it took them that long to offer me a job! [laughs]. But I was dying to work with them and any actor you talk to would say the same thing. If you ask for a shortlist of directors, they would be right there.

Was it fun building your character, LaBoeuf?
MD: He’s a great character and it was a lot of fun. I worked with Tommy Lee Jones in 1994 when he directed ‘The Good Old Boys’, which Fran and I did with him and that’s when I first met Joel and Ethan. And Joel and Ethan subsequently worked with Tommy to incredible effect in ‘No Country for Old Men’ and Tommy gave a remarkable performance in that. And actually, I had Tommy as a frame of reference [for 'True Grit'] because he’s from West Texas. And he’s also somebody who is really fun to listen to, he knows a lot about a lot, and there’s something of the English teacher in him – you can ask him an obscure question and he enjoys knowing what he knows [laughs]. And so we kind of riffed on that. It’s not exact but it’s a similar way of presentation. My character in ‘True Grit’ is supposed to be a windbag – it’s like he comes over as a man who knows everything but actually doesn’t know very much at all! Not that Tommy’s like that, but Tommy is a great storyteller. And that was where we started to build the guy.
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Matt Damon: Transfer Heat

How does Matt Damon sustain his string of successes? With a lot of help from friends like new costar Emily Blunt. (And just maybe a little talent of his own.)

On a Wednesday morning, Matt Damon and his wife, Luciana, delivered their fourth child, a baby girl. The following Monday, he’s talking to me.

But not about birthday methods. He doesn’t consider his family to be interview fodder—would yours be? So we talk about something any farther can identify with: the urgent desire to perform well on the job.

And as we talk, he shows an unusual trait for a walking franchise: reflexive, impenetrable humility.

“It’s always hard to talk about yourself, but…” He stops. Redirects. “There are actors who are just movie stars, you know? They just are. You can’t take your eyes off them when they’re on the screen. I know what that thing is, and I see it in some of my friends, but that’s just not who I am. My movies being really good or watchable always depends on everybody being really good, not just me. I’m particularly sensitive about making sure we secure the best possible people in each role because I am not somebody who can overcome if we don’t.”
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Magazines Alert

Matt and Emily Blunt are on the cover of March editions of Women’s Health and Men’s Health. Also Empire Magazine has a The Adjustment Bureau feature on it’s March issue. And it seems Men’s Health has 2 different covers (or maybe different country editions?)

If you can scan and send them in, please e-mail me at mattdamonfan@gmail.com. Thank you.

The Adjustment Bureau costars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt were the lucky ones chosen to be the first-ever cover stars of both Men’s and Women’s Heath, which hit newsstands today. Emily has been doing double duty promoting their collaboration as well as Gnomeo and Juliet, and we had the chance to learn all about her former gnome fears while at the recent junket for the animated picture. Emily and Matt are on the March editions of the Health magazines to chat all about their upcoming film, their close friendship, and how she got into shape to play a ballet dancer. Matt also shared a few choice words about movies he feels are made just based on a star’s power at the box office — projects that he strives to avoid. They said:

* Matt on Emily’s acting abilities: “There are a lot of great actresses her age right now, but Emily is just f—king unbelievable.”
* Emily on having fun with Matt: “I met Matt and he was lovely and very funny, and instantly, I thought, ‘Oh, we could be like teenage boys together. Just be weird and stupid and silly.’”
* Emily on getting in shape to play a ballet dancer: “I looked like an aerobics teacher. My shoulders puffed out, my back looked like there was a barrel of snakes in it and I had an eight-pack!”
* Matt on movies that are just star vehicles: “That’s like watching someone jerk off, really. It’s just absolutely not at all interesting, and not something I want to spend any time doing.”

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