Felicity found
a nice, long interview off Mr Showbiz:
The best-selling book All the Pretty Horses is only the latest chapter in
the Oscar-winning It Boy's flourishing film career.
By Stephen Schaefer
Toothy grin, plain black T-shirt, Caterpillar work boots, and khakis � in a
milder season and a warmer clime, Matt Damon would have been ready to hop on
a Harley and motor on down to the beach. Faced with the prospect of a gray,
wintry afternoon in midtown Manhattan, N.Y., where he'd alighted from Paris
for two days of press and the premiere of his oft-delayed, long-awaited All
the Pretty Horses, the young star was content simply to sit � minus an
entourage or any of that Hollywood stuff � drag on a couple of Camel Lights,
and chat.
Recent history has been kind to Damon. After bouncing around in a variety of
movie and television bit parts, entering and exiting Harvard (sans degree),
and making a striking impression as a traumatized Army medic in the Meg
Ryan-Denzel Washington vehicle Courage Under Fire, fate called his number in
1997. That's the year he went from struggling actor to rising matinee idol
nearly overnight with the wham-bam, one-two punch of starring roles in
Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of The Rainmaker and Gus Van Sant's Good
Will Hunting. (The latter film, of course, famously netted Damon a
screenwriting Oscar, which he shared with buddy Ben Affleck.)
Three years later, the fellow who couldn't catch a break (of the star-making
variety) is the man who's not likely to get one (of the relaxing, lazy
afternoon kind) any time soon: The Park Avenue Hotel suite where he spoke
with Mr. Showbiz wasn't empty. Three sizable and stuffed black tweed
suitcases sat in a corner by the foyer, jammed to bursting, Damon revealed,
with wardrobe selections for Ocean's Eleven. The in-demand actor, who just
turned 30, will begin work on that project for red-hot director Steven
Soderbergh as soon as he completes Doug Liman's The Bourne Identity, based
on the Robert Ludlum potboiler. With typically high energy and positive
spirits, Damon talked straight about why Horses was held up for a year, the
rumors of an affair with Spanish starlet Pen�lope Cruz, and the box-office
bogey tallied by his fantastical golf flick, The Legend of Bagger Vance,
earlier this year.
Both you and your All the Pretty Horses co-star Pen�lope Cruz have
emphasized that you're just friends and are not dating. Why the hell not?
Unfortunately, I never see her. She's busy. It's like I see her once every
six months, very briefly. She's a great, great friend and a special person,
and I came away from this movie with really close ties with a lot of the
people in it, and a lot of the crew that worked on it. With everything else,
I have these abiding friendships, and it feels great.
What's your reaction to the here-today-gone-tomorrow fate of November's The
Legend of Bagger Vance, a conundrum compounded by hostile reviews?
I guess, in retrospect, people were waiting with loaded rifles for [director
Robert] Redford's next movie. [Laughs] I had no idea. The vitriol! Really,
for a guy who's just done amazing things, good things with his name and his
career � it seemed too hostile to be just about our movie. I was surprised.
Were you?
Well, yes, actually. Maybe people were offended by the harmonious
black-white relationships depicted in what was the Deep South in a
segregated era. It was like a fairy tale �
But it was a fairy tale. And [Redford] told me at the very beginning, "I'm
sure we're going to get killed for this, because it's so optimistic." That's
one of the reasons I really wanted to do it. I admired the fact that he went
in there knowing that. But to see it borne out the way [Redford predicted]
was a little shocking. Because people seemed to take it personally and
attacked him personally. I don't think he deserved that.
What about being Matt Damon, a bankable star who's in competition with other
actors your age? If Horses doesn't kick, will you have nightmares, thinking,
"Last year I was on top with The Talented Mr. Ripley, and now I've got two
flops in a row. What do I do?"
This movie was, for the first time in my life, "I don't care." I want people
to really love it, to love it as much as I do. But if they don't, it's OK.
We just disagree. I've never felt that way before; I've always felt like,
"Well, maybe they know something I don't." But not in this case; we just
disagree, and that's fine. I've never been prouder of anything than [All the
Pretty Horses]. This was a significant, life-changing experience, making
this movie, and I feel I'll be chasing this the rest of my career. In terms
of, you know, [box-office success], I'm not ignorant of the effect stringing
together a bunch of bombs will have on anybody's career. I'd like to keep
working on movies like this and not worry [about grosses]. If I could do a
movie like this every few years, I'd be very happy.
Horses was held up a year for release and got substantially trimmed from a
running time of three hours to under two. Does it have a chance?
I really hope so. As far as the [release] baggage, a lot was made of it that
shouldn't have been. One of the reasons it didn't come out last Christmas
was that Ripley was coming out, and they always wanted to release it at
Christmas. Both are Miramax co-productions, and Harvey [Weinstein, top dog
at indie distributor Miramax] didn't want to take money out of his own
pocket. Billy [Bob Thornton, the movie's director] has final cut at two
hours, and this is the movie Billy feels great about. It's the age-old thing
between directors and studios; the director will always want it longer. And
any time a movie takes a long time to come out, people start speculating. It
would really be a shame if that was the rider to every article about the
movie. People assume this isn't the cut everyone's proud of. [But] that's
just not true.
Why was it so special?
Billy Bob. He's just a miracle of a director and an amazing human being. The
way he worked with all of us and the way he runs a set was bliss. The
result � I'm so in awe. And, leaving myself out, the acting in the movie �
I'm not counting myself in this � but all those actors are flawless, top to
bottom.
If we discount the idea that he was eating only orange foods as a ridiculous
rumor, is Billy Bob really nuts?
The orange food just came out today, and that's pure fantasy. It's kind of
fun, being that I'm a good friend of his, to watch the things written about
him, because they're so completely off-base and wacky. We laugh about them.
He's got his eccentricities, but we all do. He's not nuts. He's someone I
trust implicitly. If I could do every single movie with him as the director,
that would be ideal for me. That's not bullshit. I haven't felt this way
ever, and I don't know if I'll feel this way ever again, so this is my
chance to say it.
Horses has a naturalness and a low-key sense where things are said without
being spoken. Were you playing the subtext a lot?
The subtext is what the book's about, and what these guys are about.
Whenever they speak, they [actually] have something to say. We're used to a
culture where we keep talking no matter what. In preparation for this, it
was interesting. I was with a rider, a wrangler � a real cowboy � all day,
and I was peppering him with questions, and he turned to me and, not in a
mean way, said, "I've said more in the last three days than I have in the
last three months." He didn't mind it and it was true, but he wasn't used to
talking that much.
In the movie you get a wicked scar from a nasty knife slash. Do you have any
real scars?
I have a couple of scars. When they shaved my head for Saving Private Ryan,
[I found out] I have scars all over my head. I think they're just "little
brother scars," standard "getting smashed into walls by my brother" stuff.
But I guess I have more than I remembered, which is all over my head.
They're covered by my hair. When they took the clippers to it, they were all
laughing, and actually, the lady asked me if I was a little brother. [I said
yes] before I knew what she was taking about.
Did you want to grow up to be cowboy when you were a kid? Any other
childhood dreams?
Everyone flirted with the idea of being a cowboy. I wanted to be in the NBA
or play major-league baseball, but it became clear that that wasn't a
reality.
Was it odd for you to play a cowboy after playing so many prep-school
characters?
Yeah, although in Geronimo, I was a cavalry officer, and in Good Old Boys
with Tommy Lee [Jones], a kid from west Texas. I've actually ended up
shooting four or five films in Texas, and a good part of my adult life's
been spent there. I feel comfortable in Texas. I like it there.
Did you get bowlegged from riding a horse?
Yeah, but the good thing was we rode horses for a month before the movie and
took care of them, so we didn't have to act it. We just walked that way and
didn't have to think of it. It's like when I had to be uncomfortable for a
scene [in The Rainmaker], Francis Coppola strapped rocks to me, all over my
body, these really sharp rocks, and then he said, "Now just try and be
comfortable." Instead of having to act uncomfortable or act bowlegged, you
just [experience it]. It really helps.
How do spurs make you feel?
I didn't wear spurs. We had spurs, but they were dulled down. The horses
were so good; these horses are like great automobiles. When you're intent on
hitting a mark, [you can make] these horses lean, instead of step, by just
touching them. They're very sensitive and smart, and trained to be movie
horses. They didn't need spurs. But sure, anytime you put on spurs, you feel
like a child in the Old West.
Have you ever tangoed with tequila?
No, but that's only because I haven't tangoed much. I've done just about
every other dance with tequila.
Would you bite the worm?
Sure.
Is there a chance you'd return to this character, John Grady Cole, again?
After all, All the Pretty Horses is the first of what Cormac McCarthy calls
his "border trilogy."
There's also The Crossing and Cities of the Plain. The second one, John
Grady isn't in it, it's about a character named Billy Parham; and then Billy
and John are in the third. If we're to go on, someone else would have to
play the character. If Billy Bob wanted to do it, I'd do it. I'd do the
phone book with Billy Bob.
What's going to be different with Horses on DVD?
This version will come out first on DVD, and then down the line, at some
point, there [will] be a special edition. Talking to Billy, he said he
didn't know how [he'd] do it. Like Good Will Hunting has scenes on the DVD
that weren't in the movie. I don't know.
What gives you the willies?
Snakes. Most any snake.
Do you like your taco with hot sauce or mild?
Hot.
Ever been to Tijuana, Mexico?
Yeah, when I was 13, I went with my grandfather, who, at the time, lived in
Orange County [in California]. He and my grandmother took my brother and my
mom and me; we drove down for the day.
Tell me about The Bourne Identity, which you're in the middle of filming
right now. Isn't it a big, international thriller?
The Bourne Identity is being directed by Doug Liman, who did Swingers and
Go. That's Doug's style. His father was [a key] prosecutor in the
Iran-Contra proceedings and he's not going to make a "rah-rah, we're good,
they're bad" [kind of movie]. He will make one much more ambiguous, morally.
And I've never looked at things that way. I know actors who say they need a
big movie, and they have a miserable time because they're not connected to
it, or [don't] like it, or [don't like] any of the people they're working
with. And it comes out and it's terrible, and it's a totally miserable
experience all the way around. Then they go back to the drawing board and
say, "I've got to strategize somewhere." I say, "Who cares?" Fail or succeed
based on your own taste.
Isn't The Bourne Identity about a man who wakes up and doesn't know who he
is?
He's trying to find out who he is, he doesn't remember. And as the movie
progresses, he discovers a number of things about himself: He can speak
several languages and he's a good fighter. Franka Potente of Run Lola Run is
also in it.
Doesn't he kill people as well? What have you found out about that?
The best way is to shoot them. I can kill you a number of ways.
And how many people have you killed so far in The Bourne Identity?
Shockingly few. In the movie, I do kill one person � who's trying in kill
me. It's self-defense, and not a big "blowing up Paris" and "blowing up
everybody" kind of movie.
What's the strangest place you've ever woken up in?
Man, because I haven't had a home for so long, I haven't woken up in any
place that isn't strange. If I visit my brother, I'll wake up with the dog
licking my face. Or the kids jumping on me. Usually I wake up and don't have
any idea where I am, because I've been traveling so much. Like the thing
where you get up and you don't know where the light switch is, because you
don't know what room you're in. Or even what country you're in. "OK, I'm in
France. I'm in Paris. I'm on the fourth floor. OK, I remember this place."
While this has been great, making these movies, and I've been having a
wonderful time, I'm looking forward to not having that experience. I'm ready
to put my feet up.
One critic of Proof of Life worried that Tony Gilroy, who wrote that
screenplay, might not be able to make much out of the far more complicated
Bourne Identity source novel.
I like Tony Gilroy a lot. He did a great job with the script [for The Bourne
Identity], or I wouldn't be doing it.
Then you're into Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven. It's not a remake,
really, it's a revision, isn't it? A whole new scenario?
It's contemporary, but it's got its own style, which is very cool.
Will your character be cooler than George Clooney's?
I don't know many people cooler than George. I'm [just] one of the assembled
11, I'm the last guy they get; I'm a pickpocket.
You're famous for researching your characters. Will you learn to be a master
pickpocket?
What's interesting is [that] I'm thinking of doing this. There are a lot of
pickpockets in Paris, on the [subway] trains, and I ride the trains a lot. I
thought I could go with one of my friends � have him wear nice clothes with
an empty wallet � and do the video camera surreptitiously, and just do it
until they pickpocket him and watch how they do it. [Smiles] Maybe I'd put
20 bucks in there for the guy's trouble. I do want to see how it's done. It
doesn't mean I'd become adept at it � just watch the technique so [I can
make it] look real.
What's the status of Greenlight, the contest you and Ben Affleck are
sponsoring for aspiring screenwriters?
Great. We're down to 250 [scripts] and the [screenwriting] community seems
really strong. We can't create that community; it's up to the writers to do
it, and they're into it and it seems to be doing exactly what we hoped it
would do. It's getting exciting. When it gets down to 30 [finalists], we can
start reading them. There are already all these scripts that are posted, but
we're not allowed to read them, legally; we can read the reactions to them.
"You've got to read this script! You've got to read this script!" There are
all these scripts we're dying to read. Legally, it has to be down to 30 and,
as was always our hope, not only the guy or girl who gets to make their
movie, but [also] the other 29 get a boost. Hopefully, all 250 [finalists]
will get some action.
Any of your own screenplays in the hopper?
Nothing [that's] really fully formed. I know I really want to write
something, and Ben does. So hopefully next summer we'll be able to sit down
and do that.
Do you want to direct?
Yes, we both want to direct. Especially after this experience, it would be a
great life if I could do that.
Have you ever had a fistfight with Ben?
No. Arguments, yes. Everyone's got arguments, but we tend to see things in
very similar ways. The arguments have never lasted, ever since we were
young. We debate more than we argue.
Could you kick his ass if it came to fisticuffs?
No, he's a pretty big guy. I've got some tussle in me, [but] he's big,
6-foot-3, and I don't know how much he weighs � 200-and-something pounds.
I'd have to bring a big stick.
What's up with your Finding Forrester cameo?
I just did it because Gus called me and asked me to. When Gus says, "Jump!"
I say, "How high?"
How many movies have you made now?
Do I include, like, Mystic Pizza?
You were an extra in it?
I had one line in Mystic Pizza.
But you were an extra too?
Extra! I was an extra in Field of Dreams, The Good Mother. I was an extra in
a lot of movies. But starting with School Ties, [there's] Rising Sun,
Geronimo, Good Old Boys, Courage Under Fire, Rainmaker, Good Will Hunting,
Saving Private Ryan, Rounders, Dogma, The Talented Mr. Ripley, All the
Pretty Horses, and The Legend of Bagger Vance, which is 13. Plus cameos in
some of [the] movies [of Kevin Smith, director of Dogma].
Now that you're moving on past the "golden boy" stage of your career, is
there less pressure on you? Do you feel established?
I don't know if anyone ever feels established. It's a pretty insecure
business in general. Again, going back to what I've said before, I'm looking
more for that feeling of artistic serenity, which is very elusive and very
rare.
(Commented Felicity:
That sounded pretty cool - I like the search for 'artistic serenity'.
