Welcome to the Matt Damon Column,
a forum for sharing news among Matt fans.

In the latest issue of US Weekly, Matt was quoted in response to the question, "What advice would you give the first lady?" His answer: "Good luck, and the country would be better off if you were president." Spoken like a true liberal.
On Live With Regis this morning, Joy Philbin was reading an article in the New York Times that discussed Olivia Goldsmith's new novel Bad Boys. The article gave its own list of "bad boys" of which Matt was one. After reading his name, Joy said, "What did he ever do?" Regis responded, "He seems like a good boy to me! He sat here with his mother." I wondered why they included Matt in their "bad boys" list. Any ideas?

From an E Online message board: Dec 11 97

As a fellow high school grad of Pilot School/Cambridge Rindge & Latin (class of 89), I am thrilled at Matt & Ben's rise to stardom. They were always great friends in highschool, they were very directed and self-modivated, and always had a talent for the stage. It is amazing to witness these Cambridge natives fulfill their dreams. It is clear that they are also proud of their home town. I look forward to seeing Good Will Hunting and continuing to watch their careers blossom. Alyssa Krimsky

"He's killed early into the movie and he probably has, like, nine lines. But I found it the most memorable performance of 1995. The guy just goes out and thinks, 'No one's gonna understand what I'm doing except for me, but I'm a f***in genius.' " Matt Damon on Benicio's performance in The Usual Suspects

MATT DAMON HAS NOT LET STARDOM GO TO HIS HEAD... he still holds the door open for ladies, holds their drinks while they rummage about for a pen and paper for an autograph and is charming and polite to everyone. Take last night at the Writer's Guild Awards where Damon was a presenter. The guild trotted him around through the pre-cocktail party where he charmed the pants off of everyone. He also did a little business and exchanged numbers with some of the Oscar nominee writers including M. Night Shyamaln who wrote Sixth Sense, Charlie Kaufman who worte Being John Malkovich and a few others. Stars do business just like you and me and lots of relationships in tinsel town begin over drinks and become bona fide friendships which doesn't hoit in the film business. But back to Damon who arrived without gal pal Wynona Ryder....Damon said she was working. These two are really very secure and don't feel the need to always be with each other. Yes he is working on his next script with longtime pal Ben Affleck but they don't think lightening will strike twice with another Oscar. All in all it was delightful watching the Damon, relatively new to the fame game bedazzle everyone in his path with his boyish, fresh and wholesome charm. 3/6/00

PERHAPS MATT DAMON AND HIS BUDDY BEN AFFLECK... are already jaded by all the attention and fame they have experienced in the last few years. My reasoning is from an observation by sources who says they both came in to Veruka in The Big Apple along with Affleck's younger actor brother Casey. As they sat talking in the VIP area model after model, gorgeous chick after gorgeous chick came over to them to meet them. But the trio couldn't have cared less and barely flickered an eye at these women that most men would have given parts of their body's to meet. Could it be that Damon is ready to marry Winona Ryder and that Affleck still loves Gwyneth Paltrow and is wooing her back to him? It is that, or they are in the process of planning a movie and putting all their energies into it hoping it will be another "Good Will Hunting." Rece 8/15/99

Yours truly scooped everyone when Driver confided that she and Damon no longer spoke to each other. In fact Driver was furious and very hurt over how badly Damon handled things which also included the evening of the "Golden Globes" where he flaunted his burgeoning affair with Winona Ryder in Driver's face. 7/25/99

MATT DAMON has been busily knocking out movies all of which should be hitting the movie theaters shortly. This will bring him back up to the status of high school buddy Ben Affleck who has been doing movies at the rate of sound. Aside of the steady work on his career Damon is still in a committed relationship with Winona Ryder. It's good to see someone new to fame handle it so well. 6/5/99

***
I don't think I ever knew that Matt presented at the Writers Guild awards last year (March 5). There's a few photos of Matt presenting Alan Ball of American Beauty with the top award at their website - nicest one at: http://www.wga.org/pr/0400/membernews0400.html . Apparently Minghella was also there as a nominee for Ripley.

He was also quoted for an article on the awards: MATT DAMON, award presenter: "In writing Good Will Hunting, Ben [Affleck] and I tended to create a lot of characters, because we wanted different people saying different things. You can do that with a 300-page screenplay, but when you're dealing with something that's supposed to be 120 pages long you end up finding ways to streamline. Things that weren't plot-specific were the first things to get cut out. So if there are certain things that you are really attached to, you have to kind of tie them into the plot, or else you're in danger of losing them."

More into at: http://www.writersguild.com/

Also in the NY Post another small bit on Julia Stiles in Liz Smith's column, who says of Julia: "She wouldn't mind having a 'nice dinner' with Matt. Well, who wouldn't".

In the way that one thing leads to another, I've found some stuff on Matt's father Kent. I found a link to a page which stated donations to the production of a breast cancer support video, based in Boston. Matt was listed as a major donor, and brother Kyle and his wife Lori minor donors. Under a listing of Psi Upsilon - Pi chapter, Kent Damon was the first mentioned.

I've never heard of Psi Upsilon before, but as can be guessed it is a fraternity of sorts. It's based at major universities across the country, and lists as its aims: friendship, brotherhood, special functions, community service, growth and personal development. The Pi chapter originates from Syracuse University in New York, so that's obviously where Kent attended university (I don't know what his degree is, but accounting and finance are possible majors).

Another useless fact: Kyle's real name is Kent Damon, Jr. He's been in quite a few marathons/charity runs etc in the Boston area, and often races under his real name (30-35 year category). Remember that story from the Las Vegas Journal (Feb 2000) in which Matt was spotted in Las Vegas with his father, because brother Kyle was trying to qualify for the Boston marathon. And an early article in which Kyle was on the phone trying to convince Matt to run the Boston marathon with him.

... I've been able to watch All The Pretty Horses on video. So I have no idea what it will be like on a large screen (it would certainly be different), but my turn will come in May. I watched it with my parents, both of whom do not really like Matt, and that didn't really change after the film, but there was some grudging respect. Neither really enjoyed the film, feeling it was slow and predictable, and my dad kept pointing out where it echoed other films - any Clint Eastwood, Butch and Sundance.

As could be expected, I loved it, and certainly more than I expected to after reading so many mixed responses and confused reactions. I haven't read the Border trilogy for a few years, but every scene brought it back to life - accurate in its language, tone and visual memories. I was surprised how effective the chemistry was between Matt and Penelope, but again my mother felt there was none. Some of Matt's scenes with Penelope I found incredibly affecting, and it certainly convinced me.

I thought Matt was outstanding, and powerful in his understated, 'I'll just look at you til you believe in me' kind of way. It amazed me how much he can emote with his eyes and simple gestures - I know we've all said it before, but he really is a master of the strong silent type who says little but expresses everything. If anyone saw the Al Pacino tribute at the Globes you could see how much Matt's been influenced by him, and his style of acting. There was one scene, introduced by Kevin Spacey, where Pacino was in focus, listening to a speech, but said nothing for quite a lengthy shot. But his eyes were constantly darting, his face reacting, and you knew exactly what was in his head. In many ways Pretty Horses plays like an extended sequence in Good Will Hunting - the swanboat scene where Matt said nothing but he completely changed the way the viewer responded to him, because you knew his controlled outward appearance barely hid the emotions within.

There were so many of those moments in Pretty Horses, and it was the sincerity and truth of his performance that stood out to me. As for the film itself, I thought some of the quick cut sequences were superb, like the breaking in of the horses and the cuts after Penelope has left on the train - one of the great 'train departure cliche' sequences, where not a word is spoken. I thought the music was effective and not overbearing, and the supporting actors just right in their roles. Penelope failed me only during one of the telephone scenes, where her reactions just didn't seem right. Even on the small screen the scenery was breathtaking, and so much more realistic than John Ford's one-shot Monument Valley westerns. And Marty Stuart's song 'Faraway' added to the final scene's ambience superbly.

I couldn't help but watch it and wonder why so few people appreciated it - how they could not 'get' some of the beautifully worked sequences, and misunderstood so much of what Billy Bob was trying to do. It did take patience, and perhaps an understanding of the novel, but the performances, the scenery, the subtlety of the dialogue and the appeal of its call to simple days and an age just a few paces forgotten certainly worked for me.

The NY Post had an item that Matt lost more than has been reported in the Dana Giacchetto story - about one million, and that he also influenced friends and Winona to invest. It claims that Matt's paid them all back.

A story in Variety about a new project for Jim Sheridan mentioned that 'I know this much is true' is still being developed for Matt to star in after a potential strike. That's good news - perfect Oscar bait, if a little too ripe for criticism.

Matt Damon defends Robert Redford's direction

Matt Damon has leapt to the defence of Robert Redford.
Redford has been criticised for the way he depicted Twenties life in America's Deep South in The Legend Of Bagger Vance.
Damon says the American critics were lying in wait to attack Redford for his direction of the movie.
It is being released in the UK in March.
The story tells how a stranger played by Will Smith befriends Damon and becomes his caddy in a major golf tournment. He pits his skills against real-life golfing heroes Bobby Jones and Walter Hagan .
"It's a part fantasy," Damon told Ananova.
"Bob may have taken some licence with the story but for some reason it seems as though it was his turn to get it in the neck.
"We had a great time making the film and it is beautiful to look at. I think he did a fine job. I'm proud of my work.
"I've had a great run of success so I guess it was also my turn to look down the barrel of somebody's gun. You can't win them all. You can just try."
Damon has just finished making the thriller The Bourne Identity from the novel by Robert Ludlam and is about to play a pickpocket in Steven Soderbergh's re-make of the Sixties hit Ocean's 11.

Here's something new, from Michael Musto's column in the Village Voice:
That wasn't the end of the awards mania. Wifey and I crawled to the Manhattan Center for the annual Golden Trailer Awards celebrating those short, flashy commercials that usually tower over the movies themselves. (As proof, Bedazzled, Hollow Man, and Gone in 60 Seconds all won Golden Trailers!) The evening came with dinner, and mercifully only the Krispy Kreme dessert was a play on the trailery theme; the main course was salmon, not Cheez Whiz. Also helping us eschew cheesiness were celebrity drop-ins ("I've never heard of me either," said TV's Jim Gaffigan) and even celebrity relation drop-ins (the statuettes were codesigned by Matt Damon's brother Kyle, whose work is "uniquely interactive").
***
The website for the awards is at www.goldentrailer.com and includes this: A Work Of Art
Artists Kyle Damon and John Everdell combined their expertise to create the stunning and coveted "Golden Trailer Award." Each award is a work of art. Standing 13" tall, the Golden Trailer Award is composed of a film reel with trailers impressed on spiraling celluloid. Each award is individually constructed in copper and plated in gold. The copper is photo-etched with the winning trailer logo. The reel and film are mounted on an delicately carved base, constructed from ebony and figured maple.
Kyle describes the award as a homage to the first engaging glimpse one has of a film.
***
To look at the award, go to http://www.goldentrailer.com/trophy.html Bagger Vance was nominated for best romance trailer, but lost to Crouching Tiger (how!)

Monday, January 29
7:20 pm (TBS) Geronimo

Tuesday, January 30
11:00 am (TBS) Geronimo

i'm new to the matt damon column and ive got to say, I really do think its the best site on the web. I've gone surfing for matt pages several times, and most of them are so outdated. Besides yours is just fun! What a bad rap matt has taken lately, huh? Personally I loved Pretty Horses and baggar vance and I'd shout it on the rooftop if I thought it would help. Anyway, I don't have any Matt news right now, but could you tell me how to post when/if I do. I was wondering...have you ever gotten a letter or anything from matt? Do you know anything about whether he has a reputation for responding. I love him either way.
... Believe it not, I just saw GWH for the very 1st time about three weeks ago when I got the video for Christmas. What a flick. I think Matt got cheated for his best actor Oscar. Just like Robin Williams got cheated for his when he did Dead Poet's Society.

Also in this week's EW is this bit:
HORSE REPLAY All the Pretty Horses may be underperforming at the box office, but director Billy Bob Thornton, who's talking about releasing a longer director's cut on DVD, is planing a reunion of sorts. According to Matt Damon, Thornton is writing a script for Penelope Cruz, Angelina Jolie, Damon and Thornton; Pedrow Almodovar is interested in directing. The actors are delighted, even if they're not quite sure what it's about. "One night Billy said, 'We're doing a hitchhiking movie,'" says Damon, adding that Cruz, in her less than perfectly fluent English, calls it "the high-jack movie." (There are small photos of Matt, Penelope and Angelina.)
Also: In a section on THE MUST LIST MOVIES (b/c they lack photos): "OCEAN'S ELEVEN That cast...Criminy! Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Brad Pitt are all on board for this remake of the Rat Pack caper from maybe-you've-read-about-him-lately director Steven Soderbergh."

• Here's a small item from a recent Ted Williams story off AP. It was an interview with his security guard, Dave McCarthy
  Knowing Williams also has opened doors for McCarthy to other celebrities. Actor Matt Damon, a big-time Red Sox fan, once asked to meet Williams in Boston, and McCarthy took him to Williams’ hotel room. Williams had Damon call McCarthy’s 16-year-old daughter, and McCarthy’s standing soared to new heights at home when Damon told her he was "hanging out with your dad."
  *
  I thought they met for the first time at the All star game, so this must be a later meeting.
• Magazine update: The latest Us magazine has an article on Julia Stiles if someone wants to check it out. As the new Talk magazine is out, perhaps someone can have a look for the letters to the editor - there should be some about Matt's issue.
  I read in the Australian version of 'People' that Matt and Ben have dropped their investment in LA's Continental Hotel due to a lack of commitment/time factor. Strange investment anyway...
  Have we read this quote before? From a Seattle Times interview with Spielberg at the time of SPR's release: For the title role, Spielberg cast Damon, an actor who was not yet a star but who had impressed him with his performance as a drug-addicted Gulf War veteran in "Courage Under Fire."
  "He looked like every mother's son," said the director. Months later, Damon became a magazine cover boy, thanks to his roles in "The Rainmaker," his Academy Award for co-writing "Good Will Hunting" and his Oscar-nominated acting in that film. Spielberg regards Damon's work in "Good Will Hunting" as "probably the greatest performance of last year."
  I don't think I've read that before - how much Spielberg recognised/appreciated Matt's work in GWH. It must be another reason why he wanted him to appear in Minority Report.
• And from an article in the Times for Ripley's release - with Minghella. He expted to shoot the film in the spring of 2001: 'Instead, he's writing a film version of Charles Frazier's prize-winning Civil War novel, "Cold Mountain," which he describes as "intensely romantic and intensely austere - a potent combination."
  Another project that hasn't come through - nothing's been in the trades about the film for at least a year.
• Just a nice series of quotes from an article in the Seattle Times of Dec 99 - worth repeating (excerpts):
  • Matt Damon - 29 years old, comfortably rich, and with a grin so wide it hurts - is sitting in the back of a chauffeured car, heading for a private jet at a New Jersey airport.
  • It sounds like a movie-star cliche. It would be, too - if it weren't for Damon himself, now enthusiastically discussing Dante, Shakespeare and his own hopes of turning Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" into a TV miniseries.
  • Bright and boyishly modest, Damon isn't quite what you might expect from an American leading man.
  • "I always start preparing a character by doing whatever it is they do for as long as I can," he says. "Sometimes it doesn't work at all, but I think it's the most honorable way to do it."
    It's an old-fashioned word for an under-30 movie star - "honorable" - yet you get the feeling it's a word Damon understands. The chauffeur and the private jet and the sudden success - they may promise a movie-star ego, but it's a promise as empty as the glossy GQ sitting nearby, advertising "Matt Damon's Dark Places." Because in reality, there doesn't seem to be anything dark or pretentious about Damon at all.
  • He downplays his Ivy League credentials ("I was there, but I never felt I was from there"). He sheepishly admits his parents would still like him to get that B.A. ("You know - 'It's a good thing to fall back on'"). And he says it's been their strong support, and his friends, that have kept him from "feeling too coddled" in this new world.
  • "They don't look at what I do as any more impressive or important than what they do - and in many cases, you know, it's less important," he says. "It's not like they're really excited to see me on 'Entertainment Tonight.' "

NY Post 7/1/99
MATT: party animal
FORGET Times Square. The headquarters for drunken revelry on New Year's Eve was at Dana Giachetto's downtown loft. Giachetto, the investment consultant to the stars who counts Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz among his client pals, threw a bash that isn't likely to be forgotten. "Good Will Hunting" cohorts Matt Damon and Ben Affleck certainly enjoyed themselves - the guys imbibed enough bubbly that they were having too much fun. Damon's date, Winona Ryder, pulled the hunky actor aside and scolded: "You are leaving now!" Before long, Affleck was leaning on younger brother, actor Casey Affleck. The morning after must have hurt.

• Roger Friedman at foxnews.com has started an investigative report into the life and scandalous times of Dana Giacchetto. This is relevant to us, from http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/fox411/index.sml:
  Not all the celebrities in his orbit were hoodwinked. Two who bolted from Giacchetto's clutches early on were Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, prompted by Damon's father, Kent, who has a financial-management background.
  "I spent a lot of time getting them out of there," said Kent Damon. "I was always uncomfortable with the statements. And the boys didn't care for Dana dropping their names all the time. They're pretty low-profile."
  Affleck agreed. "We didn't like him using our names. But the real reason we fired him was all that 'Get me Leo' stuff," he said, referring to a New York Times Magazine article in which Giacchetto was described as a wunderkind. "That was when I knew something was wrong."
  Affleck, who was recently deposed by phone by the SEC, said the interviewer told him: "If it makes you feel better, you got out early."
  Damon and Affleck were introduced to Giacchetto by their accountant, Jerry Chapnick, a heavyweight Hollywood type who had even put his own money in with Cassandra Group and was satisfied Giacchetto was on the up-and-up.
  But in January 1999, Giacchetto ordered checks of $100,000 each from Affleck and Damon's Brown accounts and made unauthorized investments with the money. When Chapnick discovered what had happened, he wrote to Giacchetto and got no response.
  In January 2000, with pressure on him to do so, Chapnick himself did the extraordinary — he reimbursed both actors.
  Affleck confirmed this. "Jerry took care of it."
  Nevertheless, the pair — whom Chapnick had worked with since Good Will Hunting — fired him. Chapnick declined to comment for this article.
  ***
  Of interest: they both lost $100,000 but have since regained it, thanks to an accountant they sacked; Kent Damon is certainly involved in all of their financial matters (as he should be); and that even Matt's father calls them both 'the boys'. Sorry, just found that last bit funny - everyone calls them that!
• In other news, there was a sighting of Matt in Prague on the weekend - from the greenlight boards. Temperatures there are amazingly cold (minus two to two degrees one day last week), but for filming they were using fake snow.
• In a completely unrelated item, I did some searching for public information on Matt's mother, who really is a most impressive lady. As we know, she is a Professor in the School of Education at Lesley University, at the Center for Peaceable Schools. She's written a number of books, including "Before push comes to shove: Building conflict resolution skills with children", and wrote an article for the Christian Science Monitor on the dangers of (amongst other things), the film industry (excerpt):
  Many of the movies are rated PG-13 or even R, but their toys are marketed to children ages 4 and up. To name but a few: "Godzilla," "Small Soldiers," "Spawn," "Jurassic Park," and "Starship Troopers."
  Often, toys linked to these movies are also linked to other media such as TV, video games, and comic books. This cross-feeding starts with toys for the youngest children and begins the cycle of children's involvement with entertainment violence....
  These toys and their merchandizing campaigns lay the foundation for the violent behavior we see among youths. The toys and the lessons children learn from them as they play desensitize children to violence from an early age and prime their appetites for the violent video games, movies, and other media....
  Genuine efforts to ameliorate youth violence must uncover the unethical marketing practices toward young children that yield high profits for the entertainment industry but cause serious harm to the rest of us.
  ***
  I can see how she has major problems with Matt's involvement in the industry! Other books and summary information:
  Who's Calling the Shots? : How to Respond Effectively to Children's Fascination With War Play and War Toys by Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Diane E. Levin (Contributor), Nancy Carlsson Paige
  Helping Young Children Understand Peace, War, and the Nuclear Threat/#321 by Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Diane Levin
  Active members in both the National Assoiation the the Education of Young Children and Educators for Social Responsibility, they have collaborated in helping parents and teachers gain a better understanding of how adults can foster healthier development of their children, within our current social, political and environmental context.
• And another small item:
  From the Cambridge Chronicle (04/19/00):
  "Frightened by gun violence and frustrated with what they perceive as a lack of Congressional action about it, a million moms are marching on Washington DC this Mother's Day.
  Nancy Carlsson-Paige, a mother and faculty member at Lesley College who has been writing and researching issues of youth and violence for more than 15 years, said violence in the media socializes young children into ways of using violence.
  'Gun control is an important part of a bigger issue,' she said.
  Carlsson-Paige will be accompanied at the Million Mom March with a busload of Lesley College students."
  ***
  Just another way of trying to understand the son by knowing the mother a little better...

I am in a band called The Carpet Patrol, and a few years ago, when Good Will Hunting first came out, we wrote a song called "Like Will." We're still around and we still play that song, and we thought you and other Matt Damon fans might enjoy it.
Would you be interested in listening to the song, and if you like it, maybe you'd add a link to it from your site? We'd appreciate the exposure, and I think your viewers would enjoy the song as well.
Go to http://www.mp3.com/thecarpetpatrol and click on the song "Like Will." Let us know what you think!

• In Preimere's "News You're Not Supposed to Know" section...we've heard it all before...
  Horse Play: Billy Bob Thornton has never been one to shy away from a practical joke. While directing "All The Pretty Horses", which later had its share of post-production troubles, the self-dubbed "elitist hillbilly" playfully staged a fight with his star, Matt Damon, for the benefit of some visiting studio execs. "You're overpaid, you're lazy and I can't stand you!" Thornton shouted at Damon. "I'm quitting this movie!" the star retorted.
• Just heard a commercial on ABC for Courage Under Fire--it's going to be on in two weeks. The only reason it caught my ear was because they billed Matt as the top star! It will be interesting to watch it. I saw it when it came out and didn't really note his performance. I do remember him being extremely skinny though...again, far from his scruffy, well fed turn as Will Hunting. Sigh!

  (My note:
  Interesting that Matt is getting all this top billing in current advertisements for his old movies. Dare we assume that in spite of the lack of box-office sucesses, Matt has nevertheless gained recognition last year? Now, the day when they give him top billing for "Saving Private Ryan" is when Matt will have totally made it! :-) :-)
  And, yes, Matt's new-found fans are in for a shock when they see "Courage" for the first time, and some may come to appreciate what an actor this guy really is. )

The New York City Premiere of Billy Bob Thornton's All the Pretty Horses was a lesson in how the West was fun. Revelers such as Ben and Casey Affleck, Robin Tunney and Dan Rather chowed down on southwestern fare at the after party, held at swanky auction house Sotheby's. Star Penelope Cruz, resplendent in Ralph Lauren leather pants and sweater, waxed reverential when discussing on screen love interest Matt Damon: "He is an amazing man, very generous, very special." And Damon waxed honest when discussing how he performed a key scene (which one?): "I was blind drunk," he admitted. "I had a couple beers--you're supposed to not be inhibited." The director took it all in stride. "My slogan is, 'If I'm not nervous, then you're supposed to not be nervous,'" said Thornton, looking like a rock star in shiny pants and a Metallica T-shirt. So, has this director of a film about wild adventures had any adventures in his own life? "Are you kidding me?" he laughed. "I've had a whole bunch!"

Matt Damon filming in Prague
Matt Damon has started work on his latest film, the spy thriller The Bourne Identity in Prague.
The first scenes with German star Franka Potente have been filmed in an art deco style coffee house in the centre of the Czechoslavakian capital city. Damon plays a mysterious spy who is fished out of the Mediterranean and brought to Prague with a complete loss of memory. Potente is the woman doctor who helps him regain his memory and defeat an opponent from the past.
After filming scenes in Prague the cast and crew will move on to Paris.

The Jay and Silent Bob film started shooting yesterday, and Kevin Smith has confirmed that Matt/Ben are included with a very B-list cast. For some funny stories from Smith about the casting process, look at his columns on the www.psycomic.com site. In the last column he talked about how he finally avoided getting Heather Graham in the cast, and how David Duchovny should be there in a small role, with Judd Nelson and others.

The Dogma special edition DVD has been delayed, and will not be in stores later in January. No reason has been given for the latest delay.

(My response:
Thanks for sharing your opinion of ATPH. I am interested in why even some Matt fans disliked it.
There are movies and there are films. Movies entertain, films provoke. Yes, most people go to theaters to be entertained, but there is a minority who wouldn't mind if a film does not deliver everything in the open. I think of ATPH as a Christmas present which comes with all kinds of parts - complicated parts even - that require assembly. Few - myself included - would prefer such a gift than being presented with a fully-assembled, brightly painted bicycle complete with a shinny ribbon. I must admit that had Matt not been the star of ATPH, I might have been a hard sell. All things considered, however, I think the film deserves far more cerdit than it has received. It takes a lot of courage to turn out a film that speaks to us quietly, if nothing else.
Thanks again for writing. And, yes, I truly enjoyed the scenes you cited, as well as some others.

Indeed we knew about Matt's cameo role. And the reaction described here is similar to that reported elsewhere.

2. Their actual involvement
Andy Serwer: Guys, it is Andy again. What exactly -- Ben, what is your involvement and Matt's involvement in Greenlight? Are you going to be in the TV show at all? Could you be part of the movies? What are you going to do?
Ben Affleck: Part of our involvement, you know, it is -- obviously -- well, no. You know, people's involvement is more apparent when you are in front of the camera. OK. Well, you know, I can see this guy, so he must have been in the show or movie. There is an awful lot of work that goes into what happens behind the scenes, in terms of organizing and putting this stuff together. And that's, you know, equally satisfying for Matt and I, which is, you know, the satisfaction we felt has writers and satisfaction we felt as producers.
Ben Affleck: And so what we have been doing so far is, you know, helping get this thing rolling and put together and getting people to hear about it and pay attention to it. And we are also taking on the road executive producers of the movie, which means that essentially we will do what executive producers do, which is almost nothing. We will sort of laze around and be available to, you know, give bad advice to, you know, the hard-working and dedicated men or women trying to make their movie. Ultimately we are kind of, you know, executive producers, typically kind of lend their name to something for the sake of getting attention, you know, or.... One of the things we will do is try to use what relationships we have had to, you know, assist this man and woman in getting their movie made, and getting their movie made the best they can.
Ben Affleck: It is not the intention -- this is not an elaborate ruse to get a screenplay for Matt and I to star in. We are not trying to get ourselves on camera in the movie, but rather to produce the project as a whole.
Host: At some point, it is likely you and Matt would appear in the HBO TV show as executive producers?
Ben Affleck: Exactly. Because it is a documentary on this person's process, you know, the people who will be featured will not only be the actors, but the crew and the behind-the-scenes people. Since Matt and I have a behind-the- scenes presence in this project, I'm very confident that we will, you know, show up in this TV series in that capacity.

3. How the partners met Host: Chris, you are the lesser known of our two guests. You have a very interesting background yourself. Could you talk a little bit about how you got to know Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and your involvement with their work, and how it led to LivePlanet?
Chris Moore: That's a big question. Basically, I was working as -- I actually met Matt at Harvard but didn't know him very well there. When I quit my job as an agent to go be a producer, I talked to Matt about being in the movies, the first movie I was going to produce. Matt was unavailable. He was starring in another project, but said he should meet my best friend Ben. Ben came in and auditioned and was a genius. It was good, because I couldn't afford a casting director anymore at this point. And we gave him the part, and we went off and made the movie, and it ended up becoming called "Glory Days."
Chris Moore: During the time we were shooting that movie, Matt and Ben finished the script to "Good Will Hunting" and asked me to read it. I thought it was great, and said I would love to be involved in this process, and we got involved together and decided to make an unlikely partnership of two stars who are also great writers and a producer, and we went to get the movie made. It was quite a long battle, and during those battles, we made hard decisions together and learned to trust each other. "Good Will" turned into a big success.
Chris Moore: We decided to continue working together. We shared some offices with our deal at Miramax films, just throw ideas around all the time, sort of brainstorm on what we want to spend our time on and what our future needs to be. And we came across, you know, sort of the Internet together, and wanting to get involved with that and the media. And spent a lot of time brainstorming, as we always do, and with our fourth partner, Sean, who also shared offices with us, and decided that now is the time for a company like LivePlanet and these ideas, Greenlight and Runner and the others we have, will be very successful.

***
4. What about movie projects
Host: Here is one for Ben from his old friend Ent1701. Do you feel that you and Matt are perhaps spreading yourselves too thin -- movies, Runner, LivePlanet, Pearl Street?
Ben Affleck: We are -- I mean, you know, essentially what happens, it just means that he and I might do, you know, slightly fewer movies on average per year. You can only do so much at one time. Right now, we are very excited by dedicating ourselves to working on LivePlanet and developing this stuff. You have to remember that most actors really only work, you know, six months out of the year, [if] they do two movies a year. A lot of those people, obviously, enjoy their vacation time. But Matt and I, you know, are easily made to feel restless. Part of us feels like we have this opportunity to, you know, develop some of this exciting stuff that we have been thinking about for a long time, and we want to take advantage of that, because there may well come a time when people are not interested in developing stuff that we come up with.
Andy Serwer: Guys, it is Andy again. What exactly -- Ben, what is your involvement and Matt's involvement in Greenlight? Are you going to be in the TV show at all? Could you be part of the movies? What are you going to do?
Ben Affleck: Part of our involvement, you know, it is -- obviously -- well, no. You know, people's involvement is more apparent when you are in front of the camera. OK. Well, you know, I can see this guy, so he must have been in the show or movie. There is an awful lot of work that goes into what happens behind the scenes, in terms of organizing and putting this stuff together. And that's, you know, equally satisfying for Matt and I, which is, you know, the satisfaction we felt has writers and satisfaction we felt as producers.
Ben Affleck: And so what we have been doing so far is, you know, helping get this thing rolling and put together and getting people to hear about it and pay attention to it. And we are also taking on the road executive producers of the movie, which means that essentially we will do what executive producers do, which is almost nothing. We will sort of laze around and be available to, you know, give bad advice to, you know, the hard-working and dedicated men or women trying to make their movie. Ultimately we are kind of, you know, executive producers, typically kind of lend their name to something for the sake of getting attention, you know, or.... One of the things we will do is try to use what relationships we have had to, you know, assist this man and woman in getting their movie made, and getting their movie made the best they can.
Ben Affleck: It is not the intention -- this is not an elaborate ruse to get a screenplay for Matt and I to star in. We are not trying to get ourselves on camera in the movie, but rather to produce the project as a whole.
Host: At some point, it is likely you and Matt would appear in the HBO TV show as executive producers?
Ben Affleck: Exactly. Because it is a documentary on this person's process, you know, the people who will be featured will not only be the actors, but the crew and the behind-the-scenes people. Since Matt and I have a behind-the- scenes presence in this project, I'm very confident that we will, you know, show up in this TV series in that capacity.
***
Commented Felicity:
I think that's the first admission from Ben that involvement in LivePlanet will result in less movie projects for them both. And also some nice comments from Ben and Chris about Matt's temperament, and his creative abilities.

• Anyone notice how TBS listed the actors in their promos of Geronimo? "Geronimo. Starring Matt Damon, Robert Duvall, Gene Hackman and Wes Studi." No mention of Jason Patric, the lead. When the movie was made, who would have believed that!
• From the NY Post's Cindy Adams:
  BILLY BOB on filming the Matt Damon-Penelope Cruz "All the Pretty Horses" love scenes: "I'd run from behind the camera and jump into bed with them if there was tension on the set." . . .

Two old guys in a working man's bar. One points to the other and says to the best of the crowd: "If I were Matt Damon, he'd be Ben Affleck."

I noticed you've referred to Bourne as a "thriller." But it's important not to build up the wrong expectations. I remember one dope who read an early plot summary and said he was looking forward to it cause it sounded like a James Bond flick with hot babes!
According to Liman, he has a great *psychological* script to work with. If it were just a thriller he could have gone with any decent actor (name your own idea of what that means: K***u R****s? V*l K****r?).
The book itself was just very elaborate plot with wooden dialog and no chracters worthy of the name, but it's easy to imagine a rich story being developed from it, and Liman is a real talent who can tell a complicated plot, even do a great car chase, and still involve you with 3-dimensional characters. There's a lot to hope for here, but as usual Matt has made an interesting/challenging choice -- I mean interesting and challenging for both him and for us. At least this time he has a real director. (More about Billy Bob another time.)

• Firstly, thanks to the Unofficial Matt Damon page, I found a link to a really good bio of Matt. It's at http://www.askmen.com/men/entertainment/38_matt_damon.html and has profiles of major celebs. It also has an interesting rating system, on everything from personality to dress sense. Excerpt:
  With all his fame and fortune though, he remains a humble man which is his greatest trait. He has a lot of gray matter too. After all, he was only a couple of credits short from graduating out of Harvard.
• OK, next part of message. I linked up to AOL again today, and spent a while going through the transcript archives. A few choice morsels:
  Online chat with Tom Sizemore January 21 1999: Question: What do you think of Matt Damon?
  Tom Sizemore: Matt is a terrific young man with an exceptionally bright future. He is handling his quickly found fame extremely well. I consider him a friend, which isn't true of a lot of people. My friend list is not lengthy.
  ***
  Interview with Aliza Sherman, author of ‘Cybergrrl’
  ELCTRASmrt: Who do you think will win best picture next week?
  
  AlizaS: I'm not sure who is nominated, but I just saw Good Will Hunting, and I cried and cried and cried through it all. Those 2 guys are brilliant.
  ELCTRASmrt: Robin Williams and Matt Damon are nominated.
  AlizaS: But I guess Titanic will win since it's just the way Hollywood works. I saw Titanic, too, and thought it was very good, but it didn't move me like Good Will Hunting. Everyone in my office wants to marry Matt Damon (not the guys though).
  ***
  Interview, Laura Ziskin, producer, 6 April 2000 Question: Are there any directors or actors that you'd like to work with but haven't had the opportunity to?
  Laura Ziskin: Many... Keanu Reeves, Jude Law, I would love to work with Matt Damon and Julia Roberts again, George Clooney anytime, and for directors, Steve Soderbergh.
  ***
  Tommy Hilfiger 13 Dec 99
  Question: If you could design a wardrobe for one person, who would it be?
  Tommy Hilfiger: I'm trying to think -- I would like to do a wardrobe for either Matt Damon or Brad Pitt.
  ***
  Online exhibitionist Cindy Margolis: 5 Aug 98
  Question: dearCindy, seen any good movies lately? Your Cyberbud RJ...
  Cindy Margolis:Something About Mary was hilarious! Pvt. Ryan ... and that was a 5 hankie film!!! That Tom Hanks should get another Oscar, he has my vote. But I do love Matt Damon too!
  ***
  Andrew Shue interview 7/7/87
  Question: Who are you co-starring with in The Rainmaker? Andy Shue: My wife in The Rainmaker, is played by Claire Danes. And there are a bunch of older people that you may have heard of like Danny Devito, Danny Glover, Mickey Rourke and Jon Voight.
  *******
  (This is of course notable for who he didn't mention!!!!)
  *******
  Oscars coverage 99
  AOL Andrea: Did you see who Matt Damon was with?
  EA Oscar: He came with Ben Affleck, his bud and co-writer, actor. A few women from the crowd came up and kissed him and he admitted that he didn't know who the heck they were, but he had a huge smile on his face. Obviously success has been good for him!
  ***
  Lou Diamond Phillips 15/7/?? Pre Courage release LouDiamndP: Courage certainly was a breeze. Everybody was so good and so easy to work with and I had a wonderful time hanging out with Matt Damon, Seth Gilliam, and Tim Guinee. It reminded me of the Young Guns films which was certainly the mark set before as far as hanging out, having' a great time and making a movie.
  ***
  Gretchen Mol May 26 99
  Question: What was it like working with dreamy Matt Damon?
  Gretchen Mol: We had a really great time. He's a terrific actor and has a good head on his shoulders. I'm looking forward to his future projects.
  ***
  French Stewart September 16 99
  Question: How much fun was it filming "Glory Daze"?
  French Stewart: "Glory Daze" was a blast. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, before
  they were hunky and dreamy, were outstanding fun.
  ***
  Claire Danes March 15 99
  
  Question: How was it working with Matt Damon on "Rainmaker"?
  Claire Danes: He's great. He's really enthusiastic about what he does, very dedicated to whatever film he works on. Really bright, very charming. Good man, good man. I'm a fan.
  

• Much quieter today, although there was one report in a Chicago paper that mentioned Matt was interested in the main role of the gangster (project mentioned yesterday), rather than just obtaining the project as a producer.

• As for the Bourne Identity release date, here's some major dates to avoid:
  

  11 May     Mummy Returns
  23 May     Pearl Harbour
  29 June    A.I.
  18 July     Jurassic Park 3
  27 July    Planet of the Apes
  16 November    Harry Potter
  

  Gangs of New York is down as a summer release, but it is likely to be much later (are they still shooting?) Not many of the biggies seem to have dates yet.

• If you're in need of some 'positive-Matt-reinforcement', (Visit) the Oprah message boards. There's now 60 comments about (the appearance of Matt and Billy Bob Thorton on the show), and it's all nice stuff. Click here , then messageboards, then The Oprah Show, and December shows.

• From the Stacy Jenel Smith gossip column, about the stunts, and the answer to the 'Where in the world is Matt' question, at here:
  Matt Damon Would Rather Leave Big Stunts To The Pros
  Matt Damon, who wrapped Parisian location of "The Bourne Identity" just before Christmas -- and resumes shooting in Prague this week -- trained for months in martial arts, boxing and weapons handling for the thriller. However, it's turning out that he's doing little of his own stunt work.
  He tells us, "Whenever there's a stunt that's rather serious, I always defer to the people who know what they're doing. It's safer. Let them make you look good.
  "Also, I remember a story an actor told me about doing his own stunts early in his career. Once, everyone was congratulating him on doing a successful stunt. He felt good until the stunt coordinator came up and said, 'You just cost a stunt man a day's pay.'"
  Damon reveals that the injury he suffered practicing his golf swing for "The Legend of Bagger Vance" never "really quite healed properly." And, he acknowledges, "If I can get a separated rib playing golf, I figure I really shouldn't be doing my own stunts."
  He did engage in an on-camera "Bourne" fight with a stunt man that he says "took hundreds of hours of training." Still, he notes, he was far from being a professional, and told the stunt man before the cameras rolled, "For each time I accidentally hit you, I'll give you a bottle of champagne. I ended up owing him a case. Not that I hurt him. He's a tough guy, and I wasn't swinging too hard."

• (In an Australian magazine) with a two-page Matt article, (I) found some useless information which may or may not be true.
  Hobbies: basketball and cooking
  Did you know: Matt's got a pet pooch called Snoog
  The cooking thing I can't quite believe, but the dog is plausible. Remember that he did win the bidding for a labrador puppy in the Minnesota auction, and he has mentioned waking up to dog slobber at his brother's house. But any guesses on the name Snoog? I know there's a common Kevin Smith line of 'snootchie' or similar, but...

• There's apparently a cartoon in the January 17 issue of 'New Yorker' depicting Matt and Ben (page 62). I can't imagine that it's positive.

• Dark Horizons (courtesy of Joey Baloney) has posted up the first two stills from Bourne Identity. Click here.
  They're in black and white and rather austere and cool. Any similarities to early Dogma photos are purely coincidental.

• I just checked both the Internet Movie Database and UpcomingMovies.com, and it looks like Matt is set to appear in the fifth installment of the Kevin Smith films. From what I've read at Kevin Smith's site www.viewaskew.com and upcomingmovies.com, the film, "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" will "tie up the loose ends" of Smith's four previous films (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy and Dogma). Ben, Matt as well as many others are confirmed to return for the film, playing various characters from all the movies. IMDB lists Matt as portraying Will Hunting in the movie, which should be really interesting! I'd suggest going to all the sites I've mentioned for more info. The release date, though probably tentative, is August 10. :-)
• Also, the IMDB (I guess I just can't get enough of that site!) shows The Bourne Identity release date as May 25. I think the film is still in production, so I would guess that that date will probably change too, but who knows.
• And the last thing, a special edition DVD of Dogma is going to be released on January 23rd, and it sounds really great. Here's the press release from viewaskew.com:

  COLUMBIA TRISTAR HOME VIDEO TO RELEASE "DOGMA" SPECIAL EDITION DVD JANUARY 
  23, 2001TWO-DISC DVD RE-RELEASE WILL INCLUDE EXCEPTIONAL ADDED VALUE ELEMENTS 
  INCLUDING AUDIO COMMENTARIES, DELETED SCENES AND AN EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENTARY * 
  All-Star Cast: Matt Damon ("The Legend of Bagger Vance"), Ben Affleck 
  ("Reindeer Games"), Chris Rock ("Lethal Weapon 4"), Linda Fiorentino ("Men in 
  Black"), Salma Hayek ("Time Code"), Alan Rickman ("Galaxy Quest"), Jason Lee 
  ("Almost Famous") and Jason Mewes ("Scream 3") * Written and Directed by 
  Kevin Smith ("Chasing Amy") * 1999 Theatrical Release * Insert with 
  Collectible Dogma Merchandise and Offers 
  DVD ADDED VALUE ELEMENTS 
  Cast and Crew Audio Commentary by Director Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Jason 
  Lee, Jason Mewes, Producer Scott Mosier and Vincent Pereira 
  Technical Audio Commentary by Director Kevin Smith, Producer Scott Mosier and 
  View Askew Historian Vincent Pereira 
  "Judge Not In Defense of Dogma" Documentary 
  Complete Set of Storyboards from Three Major Scenes 
  100 Minutes of Deleted Scenes with View Askew Crew Intros 
  Weblink to the Official View Askew Site 
  Hilarious Cast and Crew Outtakes 
  Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash Spot 
  Saints and Sinners Talent Files 
  Bonus! Follow the Buddy Christ for More Hijinks with Kevin Smith, Ben 
  Affleck, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes and More! 
  Talent Files (Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Chris 
  Rock, Alan Rickman, Jason Lee, Salma Hayek and Jason Mewes) Culver City, CA 
  (11/9/00) - On January 23, 2001 Columbia TriStar Home Video will release 
  DOGMA SPECIAL EDITION DVD. From director Kevin Smith (Clerks and Chasing 
  Amy), DOGMA features an all-star cast which includes Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, 
  Chris Rock, Salma Hayek, Linda Fiorentino and Alan Rickman. 
  SYNOPSIS: One of the most talked about movies of the year is also one of the 
  funniest! In this hilarious comic fantasy from writer/director Kevin Smith, 
  two banished angels (Damon and Affleck) find a loophole that would get them 
  back into heaven. The only snag? They'll be destroying existence in the 
  process. In an effort to stop them, the overworked voice of God (Rickman) 
  taps cynical mortal Bethany (Fiorentino) to save the world by preventing the 
  angels from reaching their unholy destination, New Jersey. Throw in two 
  unlikely prophets (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith), the quick-witted, yet 
  little-known thirteenth apostle (Rock) and a sexy, former muse with a case of 
  writer's block (Hayek) and you've got an hysterical and thrilling race 
  against time. 
  Rated R 
  128 Minutes 
  Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Surround 
  Format: Widescreen 
  Languages: English, French and Spanish 
  Subtitles: English, French and Spanish 
  Trailers: "Dogma" 
  SLP: $29.95 
  DVD #05614 
  UPC #0-43396-05614-5 
  

Jam Showbiz today:
ALL THE SCARY AIRPLANES
While working on All the Pretty Horses, Matt Damon and Billy Bob Thornton discovered they have more in common than their screenwriting Oscars.
"Billy Bob and I both have a fear of flying. The only reason either of us will take a plane instead of driving is if it is essential for a film or if it's as a commitment to someone we love," says Damon.
"We're both white-knuckle flyers."
Thornton says it is because "a person has so little chance of surviving a plane crash. All the possible dangers go through my mind the whole time I'm on a plane.
"It didn't help that I played an air- traffic controller in Pushing Tin. I learned far more about the dangers of flying than I ever needed or wanted to know."
"I love my work. I love my wife (Angelina Jolie), so I fly."
Damon says his phobia began more than a decade ago when he and Ben Affleck were on a plane that encountered turbulence and mechanical difficulties.
"It was the biggest, scariest thing that had happened in our lives, so Ben and I wouldn't let it go.
"It festered and continues to get in the way of my being able to fly.
"I don't know how many times I spent days driving just so I wouldn't have to take a plane."

Cinezine:
ALL THE PRETTY HORSES (PG-13)
by Christian T. Escobar
All The Pretty Horses, the Billy Bob Thornton adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's wildly popular novel has a lot of spacious sky, a lot of sprawling, dusty landscapes and just enough Matt Damon to keep the film from looking like a travel brochure. It's a quick film. Or at least it felt like it. And that is part of what makes it enjoyable. It never slows down for melodrama. It may kicks its heels into a little romantic drama, but just when the film feels like its about to dip into a pool of sap, there's a gunfight to lift it up once more. It's the summer of 1949 and John Grady Cole (Matt Damon) has just lost his grandfather. Now the family farm is about to go as well. His mother will sell it off to the oil company and John's dreams of running the ranch blow away like tumbleweeds. So John and his buddy Lacey Rawlins (Henry Thomas) ride off for old Mexico with thoughts of ropin' and ridin' dancing through their dusty skulls. If adventure is what they're looking for, they find it quite easily. First in the form of a scrappy young buck by the name of Jimmy Blevins (Lucas Black) and thereafter in the form of a cattle ranch owned by Hector Rocha (Ruben Blade). On the ranch John meets and falls in love with Alejandra (Penelope Cruz), Rocha's virginal daughter. There wouldn't be a movie - or a book for that matter - if all things went smoothly. Old traditions and past indiscretions arrive on the great Mexican plains just in time for bedlam. While the film seems compressed and it may not capture the true spirit of the source material, it does act as a fine lasso to reel in those who haven't read Cormac McCarthy's novel. Sadly, I am one of those unhip folk, but I plan to change that next week when I go out and buy the book. Thornton does a fabulous job of crafting a loose story arc that is free flowing despite being slightly predictable. It's the vignettes that serve as the ultimate beckoning, the Mexican prison, the breaking of the horses, the judge, these little bits of cinema help lure in the viewer. Now, I might not be so kind to this film after reading the book since I assume it's a general consensus that the novel is far and away better. But very few times have I seen a film made from a book that's made me want to go out and buy the book right away. In that regard, I suppose this film adaptation did what it was supposed to do. Does that make it successful? Matt Damon is quickly becoming a diverse and accomplished actor. It seems like only yesterday he played the prick in School Ties. He has smartly jumped on a variety of roles that has allowed him to stretch his acting skills considerably. Accents are not always a fair judge of acting talent, yet we crucify those who botch them and praise Meryl Streep for using them so superbly. In that case, I think two of the hardest accents to master is The South and The South End. Damon has aced them both. Henry Thomas has come a long way since the little boy in E.T. He's a capable actor and certainly shows here that he can be a fine supporting piece. It's clear that Penelope Cruz has something about her and it's not just those gorgeous shoulders. She's not exactly riveting here but manages to bring the appropriate spice to the table. Lucas Black with his snarl and his heft accent is a stand out. All The Pretty Horses is one of those films that are so light and delicate it could be easily dismissed as forgettable. Maybe it is. But the film is effective when it comes to creating memorable characters. What's even more impressive is that the characters aren't exactly ones of depth and intrigue. They just float along the screen whether they're on top of horses or standing at the edge of a butte. Perhaps it's a testimonial to McCarthy's creations or to Thornton's direction, but there always seems to be a lot more going on than there really is. Of course, if the story isn't to your liking there is always Barry Markowitz's stunning cinematography. I'm not really the cowboy type, but those images made even a city boy like me wish I were riding across the plains with nothing but my horse below and the stars above. Maybe it is a brochure, after all.

Knight Ridder article 21 January

Minghella said he could not imagine anyone else in the role.
"Matt is the best accomplice a director could have. He is an astonishing actor and incredibly smart. He actually dignifies the writing (Minghella wrote the screenplay). I'm a writer first, and he gives you back more than you could hope for.
"My only concern is that Matt's performance is so quiet, so un-showy and so delicate that people might not appreciate his acting."
Damon already has been nominated for a Golden Globe for "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (his acting was nominated for an Oscar in "Good Will Hunting"), but says he is less concerned about awards than how his new film fares at the holiday box office.
"The Talented Mr. Ripley" is the first film Damon has been asked to carry on his shoulders.
"That's the only drawback to what's happened since the Oscar," he said. "I'm finally at the point where I'm on the hook for the movies I do. I don't have the luxury of being the struggling actor who can take any terrible role and then sit around with his acting buddies and make fun of it.
"I'm responsible for what I'm putting out now, and that can be scary. But I'm not complaining; this is a pretty good place to be.
"Someday, I know it's all going to end. I know it's got to go; it's just a question of when. I hope to have a long career, but so does every actor. There's a big smack in the head coming to me sooner or later, and I'm just hoping it's later."

Coulter’s Run (Phoenix Pictures)
This western is based on a true story about a scout with the Lewis and Clarke expedition of 1806.
After abandoning the expedition, John Coulter tried to become a mountain man.
"Liam Neeson was originally scheduled to play Coulter, but he pulled out. He said he wants to spend more time with his wife and children," says Einer.
"They've offered the role to Matt Damon and are waiting to hear about his availability before moving ahead."

So you were a bit of a high school rebel compared to Damon.
"Let's put it this way," says Affleck, grinning. "I was into challenging everything and everybody, and going to McDonald's between periods.
"Matt was always disciplined and brought a lot of apples to the teachers."