Matt Damon
Interview By: Dan Portnoy
DanPortnoy@TheCinemaSource.com
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There are many young male actors in Hollywood who can make women young and old squeal with delight at the mere mention of their name. But few are as talented and as well known as Matt Damon. His charming personality and boyish good looks have made an impression on moviegoers both male and female alike, and you know the funny thing' He's just as good humored and charismatic off the screen as on the screen. In his new movie, The Brothers Grimm, he along with Heath Ledger and directorial mastermind Terry Gilliam, help bring the delightful fairytales of old to the big screen with that cinematically dazzling Gilliam style of course.
In this folklore recreation, Matt Damon plays Wilhelm Grimm. Along with his brother Jacob, played by Heath Ledger, the two spend their time going from village to village pretending to rid and protect its inhabitants from evil creatures and supernatural spirits. Eventually, like it usually does, that karma comes back to bite them in the ass. During their travels, the two stumble upon a village consumed with a real curse and real life enchanted creatures and supernatural beings. Bravely or foolishly (who am I to judge) the brothers decide that they will rid the town of its problem, but things may prove to be trickier than they initially appear.
Since he has been in the movie business, Damon has been in his share of big budget films. However, none so elaborate and as visually overwhelming as The Brothers Grimm. 'It's probably the biggest movie I've ever been on in terms of those sound stages. I mean there were two connected sound stages, the forest was all indoors and then there was the back lot where there was the village.' The sets were pretty much constructed to scale, the illusions provided by the blue screen which has become so popular, was scarcely used.
The reason for all this scrupulous attention to detail, and striving towards perfection can be attributed to the film's director Terry Gilliam. One of England's most prominent directorial visionaries, Gilliam has brought us such films as Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Brazil, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Gilliam's meticulous adherence to every facet of the film really put everybody involved with production to work. 'So many people have to get their job right in order for his vision to come to life. He is really good at communicating specifically to each department exactly what he needs them to do.' Everything ran more smoothly and perfection was nearly achieved, which was something that impressed Damon all through out filming. 'Everybody knows where they are on the set at all times and why they're there and what they're doing.' But in some cases knowing what you're supposed to be doing isn't the same as being able to carry out the task.
For Damon, his abilities both physically and mentally were put to the test. 'It's a different kind of fun you know, hard work fun.' And part of that hard work for Damon came with the British accent that his character Wilhelm spoke with. For those of you who remember the original folktales you'll remember that were of German origin. But Gilliam had a different idea in mind. 'He wanted it to sound foreign though particularly to Americans so he just kind of went with English.' Chuckling he recounts how funny it would have been to do the film in a German dialect, delivering some of the film's dialogue in an absurdly poor German accent. 'He [Gilliam] didn't want us marching around the forest going 'vat are you doing!'' Picture it in your head folks, had the German accent stuck the movie may have been classified strictly as a comedy.
In film, taking on a challenging role makes the project more interesting and all the more worth while when completed. The actor is then able to take that experience and apply it to other roles, therefore increasing the talent of an actor. When Damon originally signed onto The Brothers Grimm he had been cast as Jacob and Heath as Wilhelm. Not being able to settle in the role, the two approached Gilliam hoping for a slight change. 'We begged him to switch roles. He originally cast us flip flopped and we both felt like we'd done that, so we asked him'It's more challenging and more fun for everybody if they're doing stuff a little different.'
It didn't stop there either. The whole Brothers Grimm experience for Damon was unlike any other film he had ever done. 'Everyday coming home, we would say as we wrapped 'well, never done that before.' From licking toads to being strapped to ladders in an actual burning forest, all that stuff, with fire retardant all over us, every day was something new and bizarre.' Bizarre sums it up pretty well, because Matt wasn't speaking figuratively about licking toads. 'Yea I licked a toad, tasted like chicken,' he laughs as he stares at the stunned faces around the room, myself included. It looks like it's time to change the subject.
At this point in time Damon has six films in the works including the new Martin Scorsese movie, The Departed, set for a 2006 release. This is the first time he has worked with Martin; so far he's enjoying the ride. 'It's unbelievable working with him. His sets are like a church, it's the quietest ever, that's the one thing that makes it not feel like a movie set. Everyone's really focused, and everyone's really happy to be working for him; it's a pretty reverential kind of atmosphere.'
Things are going well for Matt Damon and it doesn't look like they'll be slowing down anytime soon. And why should they' Talent and looks are a package that's hard to come by in film now a days.
