The Matt Damon Column

Updated 9/27/2003

If you would like to contribute news about Matt, please write to Felicity at [email protected]
9/27/2003
  • Is Matt flying to Savannah this weekend? From the NY Post:

    Jennifer Lopez tried her best at a reconciliation, but it might not have been good enough. Lopez, who went to Savannah to see her ex-fiance Ben Affleck last week, flew to Miami yesterday afternoon. "Jennifer tried to get her sister Lynda to meet her and keep her company, but Lynda had to go to Los Angeles," our source said. Meanwhile, international spies said Matt Damon was planning to take a break from shooting "The Brothers Grimm" in Prague to visit Affleck for the weekend. A rep for Lopez declined comment. A rep for Damon said she didn't think he was coming back to the U.S. until November.

  • A story on films made around the North Shore of MA includes the following reference to Stuck on you:

    Slated for a December release date, the film, written and directed by the oddball Farrelly brothers, is essentially about conjoined twins who have their own dreams.

    The movie people, especially Kinnear - said to be a down-to-earth person with a great sense of humor - spent a fair bit of time in The Franklin, a restaurant on Gloucester's Main Street.

    "Our staff was very nonchalant," says owner Dave Dubois. "We've had a lot of famous people here in the three years we've been open."

    Of course, not everyone could contain their excitement. Dubois says one customer interrupted Damon in the middle of his conversation to lamely ask: "What's it like to be you, man?" To which Damon replied "It's not as exciting as you think. I'm in some inn up the street watching 'American Idol.'"

    "It kind of put me in a strange situation," says Dubois. " I wanted to throw him out." The penalty for being uncool. The production crew later had a raucous wrap party upstairs at the restaurant, says Dubois proudly.

  • An excerpt of an item about Stuck on you from a recent issue of Sports Illustrated:

    "The twins play tennis, but only one makes the team. The other has to tag along" says Bobby Farrelly.

  • Jill forwarded this very unlikely story about Matt and Ben co-directing a remake of Valley of the Dolls from Sky News.

  • Thanks to Diana for translating a story about Ocean's Twelve filming in Amsterdam from the de Telegraaf newspaper.

    The film Ocean's Twelve, the sequel to the international hit Ocean's Eleven will take place for a great part in Amsterdam. This is confirmed by Jerry Weintraub, the producer. The city of Amsterdam does not know anything about the film plans.

    In March, among others, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon and Andy Garcia will come to the Dutch capital to film a large number of scenes. The film is meant to be released around Christmas next year.

    In Ocean's Twelve there will be, like in Ocean's Eleven, a large group of charming criminals who will prepare an appearing impossible stealing job. This time it handles about 3 burglaries in Europe. Rome, Paris and Amsterdam will be the target of this gang.

    Which objects will be stolen in the mentioned cities , cannot be confirmed by the spokesperson of Weintraub. She does deny strongly that it will be about "The Nachtwacht" (Rembrandt), as is suggested on the internet.

  • A German report mentioned that Brian Cox, Julia Stiles and Franka Potente will all return for Bourne Supremacy.

9/26/2003
  • Monica Bellucci has been cast as the 'Evil Queen' in Brothers Grimm replacing Uma Thurman. The Variety story also reports that filming will now continue until mid-November, and not 23 October as originally planned.

    Bellucci gig gets 'Grimm': Pic wil also star Damon, Ledger, Jonathan Pryce
    By Dana Harris
    Monica Bellucci has signed to play the evil queen in Terry Gilliam's "The Brothers Grimm," now shooting in Prague. A Dimension Films-MGM co-production, "Brothers Grimm" is the story of two traveling con artists who perform bogus exorcisms and pretend to protect people from enchanted creatures until they encounter a real magical curse in a haunted forest.

    Bellucci will portray the forest's ruler, a woman who has found eternal life but not eternal beauty. She turns to the forest in order to procure the young virgins whose blood she needs to stay lovely.

    "The Brothers Grimm" stars Matt Damon, Heath Ledger and Jonathan Pryce. Written by Gilliam, Tony Grisoni and Ehren Kruger, production is expected to continue through mid-November. Daniel Bobker and Charles Roven produce.

  • Here's a story in Czech from Stratosfera about Matt's time in Prague and his encounter with Mandy Moore in a local nightclub.

9/25/2003
  • The picture at right appeared with a Seattle P.I. article on Ben's possible marriage to Jennifer Lopez.

  • German papers are reporting that Bourne Supremacy will be partly filmed at the Babelsberg Studios in Potsdam, near Berlin, next February. Reports differ as to whether filming will commence in Moscow or India later this year. The dw-world.de report:

    Damon and Potente to Shoot Thriller Sequel in Berlin
    American film star Matt Damon and flame-haired German actress Franka Potente, best known for her live-wire role in Run Lola Run, will be shooting at the Babelsberg Studios near Berlin in February for the movie The Bourne Supremacy, a German newspaper reported on Wednesday. Construction is expected to begin on the first movie sets for the new spy cliffhanger in the coming weeks. The Bourne Supremacy is the sequel to fast-paced thriller The Bourne Identity, based on author Robert Ludlum's 1980 best-seller and directed by director Doug Liman. It was a huge success in Germany a year ago. The sequel is expected to hit move theaters in the U.S. in July and in Germany next September.

9/23/2003
  • Here's the USA Today scan of Matt and Heath Ledger in Brothers Grimm. Entertainment Tonight will do an on-set report in the next few weeks.

  • From the Boston Globe - the website for Flynn is here:

    Together they have two names
    Boston's own musician-songwriter Flynn is in the Malibu, Calif., studio of legendary producer David Foster recording his song "Human" with Cher for the upcoming Bobby and Peter Farrelly movie "Stuck on You." The movie is about Siamese twins from Martha's Vineyard who head to La La Land to pursue their dream of having a showbiz career; it's slated to open later this year. The movie stars Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as the twins and Cher as, well, Cher. "Human" is from Flynn's new CD, "Let the Show Begin."

  • In press interviews at the weekend George Clooney confirmed that Ocean's Twelve will start filming on 1 March, and all the first cast will be back at a 5% reduced payscale.

  • Canadian actress Marie-Josee Croze stated in a recent French interview that she has been cast in a 'Hollywood film with Matt Damon', but gave no further details. Probably Bourne Supremacy.






9/21/2003
  • Jessica very kindly scanned this item about Matt and Odessa from Cosmopolitan magazine. The full size pictures can be seen in the May archive.














  • Still no sign of the USA Today picture from the set of Brothers Grimm online. If anybody can access the photo, I'd really appreciate a scan.

  • Jack Black made the following ill-informed and unpleasant comments in a USA Weekend interview. Why?

    On the eve of his biggest role yet, as a washed-up rocker turned fifth-grade teacher in "The School of Rock" (out Oct. 3), Black sat down at a Tinseltown coffee shop to serve up his bitterly honest take on everything from Matt Damon to approaching women (although he has a girlfriend):

    On "studly" actors: "Here's what's wrong with Matt Damon and those of his kind: Anyone who builds their career on being studly is lame, in my book. You're going down a Mel Gibson/Bruce Willis/Clint Eastwood road. Clint Eastwood is the coolest of those, 'cause he's awesome. But that whole thing with the squinty eyes ... it just seems really empty. I don't want to hang out with anybody who's the designated squinty beefcake."

  • A Stuck on you trailer still from the Rotten Tomatoes flipbook.














9/18/2003
  • Newspaper alert: Susan let me know that a photo of Matt and Heath on the set of Brothers Grimm (the first photo to be released from the film), appeared in Wednesday's USA Today newspaper with the fairytale movies article. Can anybody scan the picture and forward it to me? Thank you.

9/17/2003
  • More details about Brothers Grimm from a USA Today story on the trend of fairytales becoming films:

    Dimension Films is tackling the most offbeat and ambitious fairy-tale-themed movie. Heath Ledger and Matt Damon are now filming The Brothers Grimm in Prague with Terry Gilliam (Twelve Monkeys), a director who rarely tells any story without a warped twist.

    The premise: 19th-century folklore collectors Jake and Will Grimm go from town to town, pretending to protect villagers from enchanted monsters and other magical threats, until one day when they have to undo an actual curse. During their travels, they encounter the inspirations for their stories, including a girl with a red hood and a boy with a beanstalk.

    Bob Weinstein, head of Dimension, promises that the PG-13 dark fantasy will be fun and scary in a Pirates of the Caribbean way. "This is The Princess Bride meets The Lord of the Rings," he says. "These are writers of tales who get to live one."

  • There's another comment by Eva Mendes about Matt in a filmstew.com interview. (Please note: Eva mentions her long-term boyfriend in the next paragraph of the original interview, which is not relevant to the film. I'm not trying to propagate any false rumours here.)

    "Matt, who I just adore, gave me the best advice about dealing with celebrity," says Mendes. "He said that you're not going to change but the people around you are going to change, so just surround yourself with the people that you really care about, and keep that little tight-knit group together, and I've found that invaluable."

  • Yet another "what happened" theory re Ben and Jennifer involving Matt, from Michael Sneed at the Chicago Sun-Times:

    This didn't come from publicists . . . or flacks . . . or salaried employees of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. This info comes from people who know the Bennifers.

    *Fact: Actor Matt Damon, Affleck's best friend, is no fan of Lopez and feels Affleck, who was besotted with her, was dying on the vine. It was no surprise to those close to the two pals that Damon didn't appear to be heading to the wedding before it was "postponed."

9/16/2003
  • Actress Joan Allen is in talks to join the Bourne Supremacy cast. From the Hollywood Reporter:

    Allen tracking 2nd 'Bourne' for Universal
    Joan Allen is entering the spy game. The actress is in negotiations to star opposite Matt Damon in "The Bourne Supremacy," the sequel to the hit 2002 film "The Bourne Identity," for Universal Pictures. Production is expected to begin at year's end. Allen would portray CIA officer Helen Landy, a character who's tracking down Jason Bourne throughout much of the story. British helmer Paul Greengrass is directing, with Frank Marshall, Paul L. Sandberg and Patrick Crowley producing. Tony Gilroy adapted the sequel, which is inspired by Robert Ludlum's second novel in the "Bourne" series. Gilroy also adapted the first installment. Universal executives Ally Brecker-Shearmur and Matt Jackson are overseeing the project. Allen, who has been thrice-nominated for an Academy Award -- most recently for 2000's "The Contender" -- recently wrapped shooting "The Notebook" for New Line and next appears in the indie feature "Off the Map." Her other credits include "Pleasantville, "Face/Off" and "The Ice Storm." She is repped by ICM. (Borys Kit)

  • Another possible story on Ben's actions over the last few days from Tim McDarrah's column in the Las Vegas Sun (note the Williams reference is incorrect):

    A reliable source told VegasBeat on Sunday that Affleck was at his home in L.A., on the phone most of the weekend with his close pal Matt Damon, who is in Prague filming "The Brothers Grimm" with Robin Williams. But that report could not be independently verified.

  • Kent Damon's made the press again -from the Boston Globe:

    Damon's father knows best
    By Carol Beggy and Mark Shanahan, Globe Staff, 9/16/2003
    We knew by then the wedding was off, but if there was any doubt, Kent Damon disabused us of it. ''It's not happening,'' said Matt Damon's dad, anticipating the question about Ben and J.Lo. For emphasis, he added, ''It's not happening.'' We ran into the famous father -- to be honest, we thought he was Ralph Lauren at first -- at Sean McDonough's soiree Sunday night to benefit the Sean McDonough Charitable Foundation. (Actually, our first clue that the wedding wasn't happening was the decision of the groom's mom, Chris Affleck, to spend the weekend on Cape Cod, not California.)

  • Lisa found the cover art for the Gerry DVD at DVDanswers.com.

  • The website for singer/DJ/wannabe actress Susan Lay often claims she will be working with Matt in various projects and that she is a close friend of Matt's. The site's latest claim is that Matt will appear in Susan's upcoming music video:

    Matt Damon Video Rumor
    Following the announcement that Susan is to release her debut single, 'Just Another Day,' on October 27th it has been rumored that the video will star Matt Damon. The actor is a close friend of Susan and the pair have been trying to work together for some time. Though details of the video are not known it is thought Damon is likely to take the role of a romantic interest or best friend figure.

9/15/2003
  • More from Roger Friedman at Fox News about the possible involvement of friends in the Bennifer non-marriage/separation:

    Ben Affleck: Did Friends Intervene?
    Twice last week before the idiotic B-Lo/J-Lo wedding was called off I was told the same thing: Ben Affleck's close pals staged an "intervention," the kind used for addicts, and designed to stop his wedding to Jennifer Lopez. It looks like they got through to him.

    On Wednesday, friends I talked to of Affleck's didn't deny that the intervention took place, but by the time I reached them the wedding had been cancelled anyway. There was relief in the air and in their voices. Such a group consensus would have included Matt Damon (by phone from Prague), Ben's brother Casey, producer Chris Moore, and a handful of Affleck friends from the film business including his "Project Greenlight" comrades.

  • A story from Variety Monday would seem more suited to EW or People:

    Matt and Ben: the team that isn't: Affleck keeps high profile, Damon lays low as duo diverge
    By GABRIEL SNYDER

    Hollywood has seen many famous pairings: Hope & Crosby, Matthau & Lemmon, Abbott & Costello. But has there ever been a "team" who have collaborated less than Matt Damon & Ben Affleck?

    Ever since they burst onto the scene by co-writing 1997 Oscar winner "Good Will Hunting," the two friends have appeared to be a working duo -- a concept reinforced with the high-profile HBO "Project Greenlight" reality series.

    But beyond this, there's no "them" there. They may be the least productive Oscar-winning screenwriters ever, since the pair haven't written anything since. In the six years since "Hunting," Affleck has appeared in 20 films, Damon in 17 -- meaning they are often continents apart and, though friends, don't have a lot of time to spend together.

    The "team" notion is reinforced in the Off Off Broadway play "Matt & Ben" (they're such a famous team that no last names are needed). The play has been a runaway hit since its Aug. 7 bow, which is a tribute to Brenda Withers and Mindy Kaling, who wrote and perform in the comedy. But it's also a tribute to the title guys: Damon & Affleck have been promoted from celebs to icons.

    The play's fanciful notion: Affleck & Damon didn't write "Good Will"; the script was dropped from the heavens by the gods (who are either benevolent or cruel).

    The origins of the script have become an urban legend. An onscreen "thanks" to scribe William Goldman has led to speculation about how extensively he worked on the script; several Web sites list him as the author (though he's denied it). In addition, there have been rumors, always denied, about others' contributions to the screenplay.

    The Gotham play also taps into public curiosity about how two seemingly joined-at-the-hip thesps have followed markedly different career paths.

    True, the apparent bond between the two is enhanced by the fact that they share the same agent, Endeavor's charming and sociable Patrick Whitesell. And, though they haven't shared lead roles since "Good Will," the two thesps have appeared in occasional films together, including "The Third Wheel" and Kevin Smith's films ("Dogma," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," "Jersey Girl").
    But aside from these links, their careers have moved in different directions -- both geographically and philosophically.

    Damon has been in Prague in production on Terry Gilliam's "The Brothers Grimm" and is set to remain in Europe for "The Bourne Supremacy" later this fall, followed by "Ocean's Twelve," which is set to film in Rome, Paris and Amsterdam early next year. He has been relatively low-profile in the U.S.

    Meanwhile, it's hard to find a celeb more high-profile than Affleck. He has attained near-ubiquity via his relationship with Jennifer Lopez; aside from appearing in her musicvids, making headlines on their joint Vegas shopping spree and appearing in the "Dateline" interview together (recycled on numerous other news shows), he appeared solo on a rash of talkshows to tout "Gigli" and "The Battle of Shaker Heights," threw out the first pitch at Fenway Park Aug. 22, took part in the World Poker Tournament in Bell Garden, Calif., and recently celebrated his 30th birthday at Concorde in Hollywood, hosted by Lopez and Whitesell.

    It's a difference evident soon after the pair made a splash at Sundance with "Good Will Hunting." In the summer of 1997, the first job Affleck accepted was the starring role in the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced, Michael Bay-directed "Armageddon." Damon, on the other hand, took the title role in "The Talented Mr. Ripley," helmer Anthony Minghella's followup to his multi-Oscar-winning debut, "The English Patient."

    "Ripley" producer Bill Horberg says of Damon's decision, "Matt's someone who's been very smart and careful about the projects he does. He's not just looking to go to work and pick up a check."

    "Arguably, Ben Affleck is a bigger movie star than Matt Damon," says one agent. "But Matt works very hard at surrounding himself with talented directors and challenging material. Ben has become more of a personality."

    Part of that is Affleck's PR machine. Even before the Lopez relationship, Affleck seemed eager, or at least willing, to let his personal life be fodder for publicity. Before the release of "Bounce," he was deliberately cryptic about whether he was back in a relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow. (After the film opened, it seemed clear that, nope, they were still apart.)
    A producer who has worked with Affleck says the actor likes to play a big role in the development of his pics. "He's an avid reader and readily available to discuss a project."

    Affleck recently wrapped John Woo's "Paycheck"; next up is romantic comedy "Ghosts of Christmas Past." Affleck starred in popcorn hits like "Armageddon" and "Pearl Harbor" and has emerged as an actor who is quite comfortable with thoroughly commercial fare: "Daredevil," "The Sum of All Fears," "Changing Lanes," etc.

    Damon seems to choose his material based on directors. While that means doing an occasional "Gerry" (one of "Hunting" helmer Gus Van Sant's less memorable films), "The Legend of Bagger Vance" (Robert Redford) or "All the Pretty Horses" (Billy Bob Thornton), it also has led him to prestige items such as Minghella's "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan."

    Currently, Damon is set to work on back-to-back films with Steven Soderbergh; after completing "Ocean's Twelve" next year, the actor is skedded to lense "The Informant" for the helmer.

    The box office track record for Affleck & Damon is spotty; despite their occasional hits, they're left in the dust by stars such as Tom Cruise or Jim Carrey. But to judge by "Entertainment Tonight," People and the National Enquirer, Affleck & Damon seem like they're in the pantheon of stars.

    That last discrepancy points up the fact that an acting career and celebritydom are two separate considerations. Tabloids have certain favorites, such as Rosie O'Donnell, Roseanne Barr and Robert Downey Jr., not exactly members of Hollywood's $20 million club. Conversely, the tabs seem to have little interest in thesps such as Tom Hanks who have thriving film careers.

    Damon and Affleck represent a convergence of the two worlds. It's tempting to paint Affleck as having chosen the celebrity route over a "serious" career, while Damon is the "dedicated" actor; however, that's a gross oversimplification.

  • An update on the Dunkin' Donuts store in Harvard Square from the Crimson:

    The store's minor relocation from its old site has not prevented customers from associating it with the 1998 hit movie. In it, Matt Damon's character proudly confronts a Harvard snob through the Dunkin' Donuts window, asking "How do you like them apples?"

    "I often see people outside taking pictures of the building," Carvahlo said. "But no one's slammed a phone number against the window yet."

9/14/2003
  • A rare recent interview with Matt in a Stuck on you preview at the San Bernadino Sun here.

    Farrellys double Damon's pleasure
    By Glenn Whipp, Film Writer

    Matt Damon has never been cast in a pure comedy before ... "unless you count 'The Legend of Bagger Vance,' the actor jokes.

    But after Damon guested on buddy Sean Hayes' "Will & Grace' last year, he started receiving comedy scripts, including one from Peter and Bobby Farrelly, the good humor men behind "There's Something About Mary' and "Shallow Hal.'

    "I took them out to dinner, and they said, 'You were really funny in that "Will & Grace.' We didn't think you were funny, but then we saw that and, man, you were OK,' ' Damon remembers.

    Thus, Damon was cast in "Stuck With You,' which opens Dec. 12. He and Greg Kinnear play conjoined twins who move to Hollywood to follow one brother's dreams of stardom. Since Damon and Kinnear were harnessed together some 70 hours a week, it's the kind of movie where it helps to like your co-star.

    "About two weeks in, we both turned to each other and admitted that we were really sweating it going in,' Damon says. "If the other guy was a (jerk), you would have been screwed big time. Fortunately, I really liked Greg and his sense of humor. It's very specific.'

    So, too, is the Farrellys', as Damon discovered the night he first took them out to dinner.

    "After we were done, I invited them back to the house for a beer,' Damon says. "And they came back and Peter asked if he could use the bathroom. And I said, 'Sure,' and 20 seconds later he came out, having showered, and he was soaking wet with just a towel around him. And he said, 'You got any conditioner?' It was the kind of the moment where I thought, 'It's hit or miss with these guys. But I really like the attitude.' It was kind of like, `If you don't get the joke, (screw) you. Don't do the movie.' But it was my kind of humor, so I signed on.'

  • Congratulations to Greg Kinnear and wife Helen on the birth of their first child, Lily, last week.

  • The Dreams Terry Gilliam website has a new photo of Gilliam on the set of Brothers Grimm last week and updated details on filming.

9/12/2003
  • More wedding meltdown leftovers - this one from Roger Friedman at Fox News:

    The word about this ill-fated couple is that Affleck's friends and family have been trying to talk him out of this wedding circus for a couple of weeks. Adding to the strain has been the absence of Affleck's best pal Matt Damon, who's in Prague making a movie.
    "He was just getting ready to leave for California when he got the call," another friend told me yesterday.

    Even though all of Damon's family from the Boston area were invited as well, it still seems a bit strange that Matt has been absent from the preparations. Ben's brother, Casey, the nominal best man, has been busy with the wedding details.

    From the ET website:

    ET has confirmed that Ben's pal MATT DAMON never left Prague, where he is shooting 'The Brothers Grimm.' And Boston Herald columnist LAURA RAPOSA spoke with Matt's dad, who was also supposed to attend the wedding. "[He told me] he was not using the ticket," reports Raposa, "that he received three phone messages on his machine telling him not to come, and Matt remains in Prague."

  • Another report of typically smug behaviour from Ben in a People story:

    High in a private skybox at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., in July 2001, Ben Affleck kicked back with his young buddy Joe Kindregan while technicians tested the sound system for the event that had drawn the two together: a benefit for ataxia-telangiectasia, the fatal genetic disease that confines Joe, now 15, to a wheelchair.

    Suddenly the voice of Affleck's pal Matt Damon filled the arena with a message for Joe: "I'm sorry I couldn't be here tonight. Ben told me you like me more." As Affleck, 31, cracked up, Kindregan beamed beneath his tan baseball cap, a gift from Damon that Affleck had altered by crossing out Matt's autograph and scribbling, "A REAL star, Ben Affleck."

  • Suzanne very kindly translated an old story from the Czech Stratosfera newspaper about Matt's stay in Prague while filming Bourne Identity:

    To have your own peace
    Although he is a celebrity, Matt Damon didn't have any demands. He didn't like the first hotel in which he stayed, so he moved to the Marriott Hotel, where he had at his disposal an exercise centre and trainer.

    It is said that he spent most of his time in the hotel's casino. Not because he needed money, but because he had privacy there - it is not permitted to say hello to casino visitors. He also liked to go to an ordinary pub, where he observed the locals and notated his experiences in a diary.

    The only demand was his personal driver, who originated from the Ivory Coast, and a Mercedes. It took the driver, whom Matt first met and became friends with while shooting a film in France, probably 2 weeks to understand the streets and layout of Prague.

  • In a new listing at IMDB, Matt is listed as executive producer (with Ben) of a production called Turning it over. It appears to be a short drama written and directed by Boston actor/filmmaker Josh Marchette which was filmed in LA late July. Ben also provided the financial backing for the production.

9/11/2003
  • So, the wedding is off. Here are a few of the Matt-related mentions amongst the flurry of stories. First is the exact wording from Access Hollywood, when plans were still on track:

    Matt Damon will travel all the way from his film set in the Czech Republic to be there. Access Hollywood learned he asked permission for the weekend off a full month ago, so this wedding date has been set at least since then.

    From the Boston Herald's Inside Track column Thursday:

    Matt's dad, Kent, told the Track he was stunned by three messages on his answering machine telling him to cancel his plans. ``I just know that I'm not using my tickets to L.A. this weekend,'' he said, adding his airfare is nonrefundable. ``And Matt, who is shooting a movie in Prague (`The Brothers Grimm'), it was going to be only a two-day thing for him. But he's canceled his plans now.''

    And the NY Daily News:

    According to a source, Lopez and Affleck spent much of yesterday calling many of their 200 guests to tell them the news. Matt Damon was on his way from Prague.

  • Here's the story from People magazine about Matt and his brother Kyle.

    "We were close growing up and still are," says the actor's sole sibling, 36, who lives in the Boston area with wife Lori and sons Jackson, 6, and Miles, 3. "Matt has been generous with me financially," says the sculptor. "I can send my kids to the schools I want them to go to. They've been to five countries." In fact, they're just back from Prague, where Matt, 32, is filming The Brothers Grimm. But Kyle worries there may be a small price to relative fame: Jackson is old enough that "he's beginning to get that people care about who his uncle is. I'm not sure that's a good thing."

  • Is this the first review of Stuck on you? It was posted on the SOY IMDB messageboard by "wwnrk23", but its veracity is unknown:

    I've seen it. I just saw a screening of it in LA. I liked it a lot. It's very funny. It's more along the lines of "Shallow Hal" with the "pick-me-up" attitude, but it is very Farrelly Brothers-ish; however, what makes this movie better than the average Farrelly Brothers movie is the use of Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear. They are both brilliant. They have extraordinary facial expressions, especially their internal reactions to everything. Also, there are some fabulous scenes with Cher (yes, the Frankie Muniz scene is hilarious). So that's my take. Take it or leave it. I loved it.

9/10/2003
  • Matt may co-star in a film to be directed by George Clooney called Leatherheads. George would also star in the film, which is a comedy set in the early days of American football (1926). First details from Roger Friedman at Fox News.

    George Clooney's Into Leather
    George Clooney is undaunted by the so-so response to his first directing job, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind." It turns out he's readying a second picture called "Leatherheads," in which he'll direct himself.

    The football comedy, set up at Universal, may also feature Matt Damon as Clooney's prot�g�. Still to be cast is the beautiful young thing torn between them. Screenwriter Stephen Schiff is busy doing a polish on a script written by Clooney's producing partner, Steven Soderbergh.

  • Stuck on you co-star Eva Mendes has talked about her role in the film to Latino Review.

    Jax: Have you seen "Stuck on You" yet?
    Eva: I've seen bits and parts and I'm very excited about it.

    Jax: What's your role?
    Eva: I'm kind of like their best friend [Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear play the Siamese twins]. I'm like their little buddy. It's really sweet, and I get them into the business.

  • Lisa wrote in to say that Access Hollywood mentioned on Tuesday's show that Matt asked Brothers Grimm producers for the upcoming weekend off filming a month ago, so he could attend the Bennifer wedding.

9/09/2003
  • Here are two photos which appeared on IMDB Monday, presumably sent in by Brothers Grimm acting coach/curiosity catcher Stephen Bridgewater. And they're a little bizarre...

    The first is captioned "The farsided cowboys of Brothers Grimm - (right to left) Peter Stormare, Stephen Bridgewater & Matt Damon".













    And the second is captioned "Terry Gilliam during the filming of The Brothers Grimm".















  • An interview with Grimm co-star Heath Ledger, conducted on the set in Prague, appeared last weekend's Mail on Sunday. Here's an excerpt of the interview, written up by Grace at the heathbaby messageboard. It's the first mention by any of the actors or crew about the film and Terry Gilliam's approach.

    Heath Ledger, the notoriously reserved Australian grump, wears a smile as wide as a billabong. I was admiring your wombat, I say. "I've got a koala too," he replies. The actor leaps three steps into his on-set trailer on the outskirts of Prague, and bounds over to the wombat perched at the open front door. Inside, strewn on a table and two floral sofas, is a spectrum of Australian bits and bobs of the sort you buy at the airport gift shop-toy animals, comedy hats beer coolers, socks, jars of vegemite. Gifts, he says, from his agent.

    "I like the socks, though," decides Ledger, brandishing a bush tucker hat in their direction.

    A magical combination of Prague's surrealism, Terry Gilliam in the director's seat of The Brothers Grimm, and the access to some of the most psychedelic marijuana on earth -which, he says, makes walking around the pink-hued city "even more interesting" - has turned Ledger into a blessed-out, caricature Australian.

    Since his move, aged 18, to Los Angeles in 1997, Ledger has been a Hollywood anomaly - a low profile character actor with a bent for the dramatically difficult. He displayed medieval swordsmanship in A Knight's Tale and starred as Billy Bob Thornton's suicidal son in the oscar-laden Monster's Ball. Later this year he will be seen in The Order, playing a priest who physically takes on other people's sins, and this month he stars in the biopic Ned Kelly, playing Australia's mythological out-law, who was hanged aged 25.

    Today, though, he's in the Czech Republic having the time of his life on Gilliam's fantasy biopic of the Grimm brothers, Inside his trailer, Ledger is listening to hip-hop and twitching like an asylum inmate, endlessly pulling at his loose t-shirt, limbs flailing in uncontrollable spasms, and rubbing a bottle of water on his chest.

    He loathes interviews, and finds them profoundly intrusive. They make him nervous, and he's a nervous enough person already. With his hair on end and new beard - a scratchy growth that he twirls in Salvador Dali points - he looks like a hyperactive goblin. This, apparently is his natural state.

    "When I get nervous my hands go (he flails his hands uncontrollably and begins screaming), "Waaah...rrrr!" Everything inside me goes a hundred miles an hour. Usually when I'm working it's (takes a deep breath) 'Oooh Kaay, I'm going to centre myself.' But Terry says, "I love all this stuff you do (arms everywhere). Just go for it." So he's provoked a lot of my stupidity."

    Gilliam, evidently is worse than him-a continually animated spectre gesticulating from his director's chair. "When he describes his direction, he embodies it," says Ledger. "He's an incredible, dignified, intellectual visualist, and as mad as a mongoose."

9/05/2003
  • The new full-length (and final) trailer for Stuck on you is now available in Quicktime format at the official Fox site. Cool graphics too.

    An interview with co-star Eva Mendes aired on Extra Wednesday, and a brief transcript of the interview is available here. Eva will also be on the cover of Latina magazine's next issue.

  • In reports on Extra or E! Thursday George Clooney and producer Jerry Weintraub confirmed that Matt is among the cast for Ocean's Twelve, and that Vincent Cassel will be the new 12th member of Danny Ocean's crew. O12 has an estimated budget of $85,000,000 and will begin filming in Rome for eleven weeks from 11 February 2004.

9/04/2003
  • From the gossip column at this travel site, a strange little story. The dog was given to Greg Kinnear once filming finished and Matt left for Prague.

    Damon And His Dog
    Matt Damon recently wrapped up the film, Stuck On You, that he spent all winter shooting in North Miami with Greg Kinnear and other stars like Al Pacino, Meryl Streep and Cher. According to a top Miami casting director, Damon has had no real social life since he has been in Miami for the past three months with the exception of a few late night romps at Crobar and Opium Gardens.

    "Matt is such a good looking young guy," says the director, who saw Damon daily during the filming, "but all he does is hang out with his dog, a mutt. He loves that dog. It is very strange. Someone who is that great of an actor and so handsome...and to spend all of his time with a dog is really f------ bizarre."

  • At the site of music producer Danny Kortchmar, it is mentioned that three songs from the group Unbusted will be on the Stuck on you soundtrack. The songs can be downloaded from the band's website here.

  • Upcoming projects: Matt is listed in the Studio System industry program as being 'attached' to appear in Ocean's Twelve, but not committed (as per the program's last update). The previous rumour that Matt may star in The Sub-Mariner film from Universal may be correct, as he is listed as being 'interested' in the project.

  • Matt and his brother Kyle are included in a story on celebrity siblings in the next issue of People magazine. As part of a relay team with Olympic swimmer Summer Sanders, Kyle won the overall relay title at last weekend's Boston Monster Challenge Triathlon (website here). Their relay group was called 'Gold Medal Hunting'.

9/01/2003
  • Actor Terence Bernie Hines, who has a supporting role in Stuck on you, kindly provided the site with a summary of his role and experiences with the film. Terence's website is available here, and the photo mentioned below is available at this page:

    The film was a total blast to make. The picture behind us in the photo you saw was part of the set of a local motel that my character runs in the movie that Matt Damon's character and Greg Kinnear's character lives in. Yes it is a pool with lots of gunk and leaves in it. It's a pretty run down motel!

    As far as working with Matt, he was great. Never showed any ego, always willing to help out other actors when needed (ME a couple of times included!) and always tried to keep things light and easy. I found him to be a total professional on the set. We became friends and I found him to be quite a nice guy. At the wrap party he insisted several times that we make another film together and well you know, I just couldn't say no:). When that will happen I don't know, but when the chance comes, I am sure we will jump at the opportunity.

    I also found Greg Kinnear to be a very cool guy. The Farrelly Bros. were extremely NICE and Meryl Streep was a total PRO and VERY funny! In fact, I don't think anyone has ANY idea just how funny this movie will really be. Great ending too. Hope this helps!

    Sincerely, Terence Bernie Hines

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