Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are considered one of Hollywood’s enduring dynamic duos, but now it’s time for Damon to share the big tent with another member of the Alfred family. Damon Affleck and Casey Affleck star in Doug Liman’s upcoming Apple heist comedy demagoguethe old friends return to their hometown of Massachusetts to play a pair of ill-equipped bandits.
To celebrate their latest collaboration, Damon and Affleck Jr. attended the film’s New York premiere on Wednesday, along with director Liman and co-stars including Hong Chau and Jack Harlow.
Damon grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with Casey and Ben Affleck, who co-starred in the Oscar-winning film goodwill hunting More than twenty years ago. Since then, Damon has gained more experience and created many memories with the Affleck brothers, and he reflects on the best parts of working with the brothers at this stage of their careers.
“I think it’s only been a 43-year friendship and it’s such a joy that we get to do something that we love to do together and to be able to do it together. It doesn’t get any better than that,” Damon said. hollywood reporter. “I’m really lucky to be able to make films of this caliber with people like this. But it’s really special when some of them have become my closest and dearest friends for over forty years. matter.
In fact, their relationship is evident both on and off screen. Liman said he hasn’t seen such chemistry in one of his films since he directed Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s 2005 action comedy. Mr and Mrs Smith.
Damon is close to the Affleck brothers, but is better known for his friendship with Ben, and some of their collaborations include Air, final duel And of course, goodwill hunting. Ben Affleck also participated demagogue, produced with Damon through their Artists Equity production company. Liman responded to a question about whether Affleck Sr. would have considered starring in the film, suggesting he intentionally stayed off-screen to allow his brother to take center stage.
He said heart rate, “I’m kind of like someone who just went to a family Thanksgiving and you’re catching up on all the family dynamics. So my sense is that Kathy was always kind of in Ben’s shadow, and this demagogue This was an opportunity for Kathy to shine freely and clearly without being in anyone’s shadow. I think it’s obvious how much Ben loves and supports his brother – I think part of that is not casting any shadow over Casey and letting Casey shine.
Not only is the young actor starring on the big screen alongside Damon (a departure from the 2002 Gus Van Sant indie drama in which they co-starred) Gerry), but he also co-wrote the film with Chuck MacLean.
Afu said he didn’t take any writing courses before working on the script. “I just went through reading a million scripts, surrounding it, and then having a strong desire to get the idea out of my head before the idea came to me,” he said. to learn from it, so for me the process was done in fits and starts, just trying to get it all out and get it all on paper.
While MacLaine wasn’t the biggest fan of rewrites, Affleck liked to “refinement” his work and didn’t hand the script to Damon to consider playing Rory “until the character was good enough.”
Damon recalled that he read the script and saw his friend’s personality in it. “His voice is unmistakable. I absolutely, absolutely recognized it, and I recognized Chuck McClain’s voice. “Chuck has a very unique Boston voice, and he’s really good at what he does. .So this part is really, really fun.
The story focuses on Rory, played by Damon, and Kobe, played by Affleck, who play a father and an ex-con respectively, who team up to steal dirty money from corrupt politicians. However, everything doesn’t go as planned and the unlikely duo find themselves on the run from a variety of adversaries.
The cast and crew filmed in the greater Boston area, filming scenes in the city itself and surrounding areas, including Quincy and the star’s hometown of Cambridge. Damon said of filming in the area: “It feels really familiar to be home. The sensitivity and sense of humor there are innate to us. It’s a very comfortable place and I come back every time.” feel like home.
Liman, who made his directorial debut with Damon’s 2002 hit The Bourne SupremacyConsidering how far the actor has evolved over the years: “Even though it’s been 20 years, it feels like just yesterday that Matt and I started working together. So, in a way, it’s surprising that so little has changed. , especially because Matt and I were still committed to doing something original that fit our sensibilities rather than the studio’s sensibilities—the amazing thing about Apple was how supportive they were of us.
While their dedication to originality remains unchanged, Liman said Damon’s talent has only grown more impressive as time has gone on, noting, “There were other moments in the production.” demagogue When I look at Matt, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s matured so much’—in terms of helping me do my best work as a director, but also how knowing him as an actor helps me.
Speaking about the relationship between his co-stars, Liman said: “They’re basically a family. That means I can capture a huge amount of love between them on screen. But they also do some things that annoy each other. It happens to any family over the course of a lifetime, but ultimately, there’s no magic about directing. Either your actors have chemistry or they don’t.
demagogue The show will be released in select theaters on Friday and will be available on Apple TV+ on August 9.
