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Welcome to the Matt Damon Column,
Updated 6/29/2002
a forum for sharing news among Matt fans.
FRANKA POTENTE: THE BOURNE IDENTITY INTERVIEW By Prairie Miller Ravishing German actress Franka Potente, who wowed audiences everywhere as that fast forward lady in Run Lola Run, is chasing after success again in The Bourne Identity. Despite the language barrier, Franka was, well, fairly frank during this interview as to how she made the most of body language to charm co-star Matt Damon. Franka also explained how she doesn't mind watching herself in action scenes, but would just rather not be doing them. Oh, and she did rate just how kissable Matt actually was, and how she got both of them through those jittery love scenes. *What was it like to work with American actor Matt Damon? FP: What is Matt Damon like to work with? What was it like to kiss him? First I want to hear what he says about me! No, it was really, really fun to work with him. It's so lame to say that, but we worked for such a long time together. I always feel if you work with someone in every scene for a long time, what sometimes happens is in the beginning you think, oh, that person is so cool. You know, we're going to have so much fun. But after two or three stressful weeks, suddenly, it drops. You're like, what happened? And the person isn't available anymore. Or stressed out, or turning out to be a diva. That didn't happen with Matt. He really stayed that kind, relaxed person. And helpful. I think it was because we really took our time getting to know each other. For me, it's always a problem in this business. It's weird, but people always approach me and say like, hi. And they pretend they know you for so long. But honestly for yourself, you' re like, I don't even know you! But, everybody kind of pretends you do. It' s really strange, because you're two strangers meeting because of a project. And I think Matt and I are a little bit alike in that. Because we really respected that we didn't know each other, and we gave it some time. I think it was good for the characters, too. Because we don't know each other in the film, and we let it grow into a friendship and a working relationship. And it's better than stressing that out in the first weeks. Then you're like, oh God, I'm so glad I don't see him anymore. So I like that he was very helpful. *Can you give an example of how Matt helped you out? FP: I remember there was one day where, it was in Prague. And we had to re-color my hair. We put the color in, and then we found out that at the hotel, there was no water that day. So I called Matt's room. He was there with friends that had just come in. And I said, do you have some water? And it took him just two minutes to grab all the water bottles he had, and donate them for the situation. I thought that was awesome. You know, he realized okay, the girl's having hair problems. He just ran to my room and was like, do you need me to buy more? So I thought that was really awesome. He didn't think about it for a second. *In the film Matt cuts your hair, doesn't he? FP: Well, he cuts my fake hair off. Oh my God, I wouldn't have any hair, if we let him do that! But they had to show him how to do it. *So, what was it like to kiss Matt Damon? FP: It was fun. And at the end of the day I said hey, thanks, man. That was a fun day. Because the problem is, you're doing something again with somebody you don't know. And there's a lot of people around, and you never know. Even if you feel, well, let's relax. We know each other. You haven't been intimate and you don't mean to, but you have to. It was a little awkward. So we had a little shot of Jaegermeister, and got a little more relaxed. It's like that, for instance with nude scenes, too, if it's like for a whole day. You start out being nervous, and it's like closed set. And by the end of the day, you're just walking around like, la, la, la! He was very nervous too. But he was very sweet. I said, listen. We have to do this, so let' s try and enjoy it. And he was like, okay! And we did. He was a nice kisser, and it was great for the day. *Your character has an interesting way of dealing with anxiety in this film. Did you have any reservations about throwing up on screen? FP: I said, you know what? If we have a chance, a split second to show how stressed out she is, what about puking? And everyone said, oh my God, this is stupid. But I said, hey, let's just shoot it and you can edit it out. Okay. And the puke was the most delicious thing! Because Matt and I had, we had to diet a little bit on the film. And they mixed this thing out of vanilla pudding, milk and corn flakes, for the puke. So before the take, you had to swallow it and then you spit it out. And it smelled so good. And so Matt was like, can I try that? And we would constantly eat the puke. So they would have to keep making new stuff. It was so nice. It was like a dessert. It looks so gross, but it was very tasty. You can make it for breakfast. It's Franka's puke recipe. Delicious puke. We should sell that as an item for the film or something!
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From Gary
on Tuesday June 18, 2002 at 02:14 AM:
A movie that never stops. Nonstop entertainment for the action lover. I can't wait for the sequels.
From John
on Tuesday June 18, 2002 at 01:26 AM:
good movie... dont get much of these any more
From Jimmy
on Tuesday June 18, 2002 at 12:37 AM:
this was a really nice action packed movie i enjoyed it alot it was predictable at some points but it was a nice story. the ending is a bit weak, and its a bit hard to follow at other times, but if you are into these movies, ull love it as much as i did.
From Craig
on Tuesday June 18, 2002 at 12:27 AM:
Sweet movie. Other than it could have used a much hotter chick....I mean the black opps lady was way hotter than his woman...Come on...Otherwise outstanding movie.
From SuperMikey
on Monday June 17, 2002 at 11:32 PM:
Excellent movie. Just a touch of romance for the ladies but 99% action and mayhem. Very good flick!
From eunice
on Monday June 17, 2002 at 11:28 PM:
great movie.. matt damon was great. he actually showed that he can act~ as for the plot..unreal at parts but arent all action movies~~ way better then sum of fears for sure~~see it everyone
From Barbara
on Monday June 17, 2002 at 10:59 PM:
good movie
From Tim
on Monday June 17, 2002 at 10:52 PM:
Very good movie. Its got it all. Arm breaking, pen stabbing, snipers, car chases, and there is a plot an excelent one.
From Chandler
on Monday June 17, 2002 at 09:41 PM:
The Bourne Identity is a really neat movie. Matt Damon does a great job. This movie is both thrilling & excting! It is definatly worth seeing!
From Marcus
on Monday June 17, 2002 at 09:09 PM:
best movie i've seen in a long long time
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(My aside: Yes, I am afraid the competition will cut into Bourne's take quite a bit. In fact, even SOAF is still on 3000 screens and doing quite well, so we are talking about 4 films around of the same genre. MR will open big, just on the strength of Spielberg and Cruise alone. But Matt has passed a key test, as this time around there is no question that he IS the one who carried the film. In one of the AP blurbs today, it's said that the audience was half-and-half of either gender (pretty much the case of the crowd with whom I saw the film), and the spokesperson of the distributor said that the reason for the women audience is "Matt Damon." :-) (See note posted yesterday.)
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(Time Magazine), 12-27-1999
Matt Damon Acts Out He's popular, hardworking and sincere. So
it might surprise you how much he has in common with the lonely
misfit he plays in The Talented Mr. Ripley
He's not short. For some reason this is the first thing people
want to know when they hear you have met Matt Damon. "He's short,
right?" the inquiries come. "How tall is he?" "Is he a Pygmy or
what?" He's actually 5 ft. 11 in., but still, the fact that the
rest of us are not Matt Damon--have no Oscar, have never kissed
Winona Ryder and are not making $7 million a movie--would be no
more palatable even if we could put him in the "good-looking but
short" box with, say, Tom Cruise and Mel Gibson.
It's just our puny way of kicking out at an industry that
manufactures a product so completely irresistible to so many of
us: the celebrity. And in the 29-year-old Damon, the star factory
has found a mother lode of raw material: charm, good looks, an
even temperament, smarts, a relish for hard work, devotion to his
mom. But if it makes you feel any better, Matt Damon feels your
pain. He didn't used to be him either.
"There are times I've been rejected that would spin your head
around," says Damon. "You wouldn't believe I sat there and let
people say stuff like that to me." Before The Rainmaker and Good
Will Hunting--the one-two punch that threw him into the spotlight
and led to six more back-to-back roles, including his latest, in
The Talented Mr. Ripley--Damon struggled for seven years to get
enough work to feed himself. But tough as those years were, they
are eclipsed in his memory by an experience he had when he was
nine or 10. "I moved to a neighboring city, and I really wanted
to go back to my old school and see my friends," says Damon. "And
my mother came up with this idea: 'Well, why don't you go back
and spend a day there?'" But when she called and asked whether
her son could return to say goodbye and achieve some closure, the
principal said no. "I couldn't understand it," says Damon, his
indignation still palpable. "The feeling of rejection was so
deep." His mother, a professor of early-childhood education,
wrote a stinging letter to the principal, which the young Damon
carried around for weeks. "I remember thinking, 'Someday this
person will be in a position of needing something from me,'" he
says.
So although it might seem that if one were making a movie about a
charismatic, handsome, wealthy young man and the lonely misfit
who desperately wants to be him, one would cast Damon in the
glamour boy's role, he says he identifies with the dork. "I
really relate to Ripley," says Damon. "I always did. I think most
people will." And while there are differences--Damon says he
played Ripley as a virgin, which, given his dating history
(Claire Danes and Minnie Driver are two of the famous ones), must
have been a stretch--there are also similarities. Damon and Ripley
are both from the Boston area. Both are eager to please, polite
and attentive to whomever they're with. Both work incredibly hard
on the project at hand. For Ripley, Damon spent a month learning
to play the piano and perfected Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring on
the harmonium for a scene he knew would be cut from the movie.
"I'm a writer. I knew what would be the first to go," says Damon,
who won his Oscar for co-writing Good Will Hunting with Ben
Affleck. "But it wasn't a waste of time, because playing the
piano informed the way Ripley walked and the way he sat."
Besides, he says, flashing his extra-wide grin, "now I can play
Bach and Chopsticks and nothing in between."
After Ripley, for which he lost 25 lbs. in order to appear pale
and skinny, Damon spent a month learning to ride and bulking up
for his portrayal of an 18-year-old cowboy in All the Pretty
Horses, which will be released in late 2000. When Ripley director
Anthony Minghella visited Damon on that set, he barely recognized
him. "He was like the more successful, more centered, more
handsome, just generally more masculine and surefooted cousin of
Ripley," he says. And as Damon conducted a barrage of press
interviews for Ripley, he was squirming under a brace because he
had separated a rib while swinging a golf club for yet another
role, as a World War I veteran who finds enlightenment through
his caddy in The Legend of Bagger Vance, which is being directed
by Robert Redford. "Matt seems to work on a process of 'If it
doesn't hurt, it can't be right,'" says Minghella. Damon shrugs
off the compliment. "I just don't think there's an excuse for not
working as hard as you can," he says.
Ironically, the star and the guilt-ridden murderer have something
else in common. Both Ripley and Damon work their way through
conversations like poachers in Yellowstone. They sense they're
being watched, so they constantly observe themselves. Halfway
through talking about the responsibilities of fame and how it
should be used for good, Damon breaks off. "Oh God," he says. "I
sound like Miss America." He seems to have an acute sense of what
others, particularly reporters, want to hear. He talks sports
with the guys. He does classic movie routines with the show-biz
old-timers. To a thirtysomething female, he talks mostly about
his mother.
The glaring difference between Ripley and Damon is that Damon has
managed to pull off what Ripley doesn't: he has achieved the
trappings of privilege and success, but not, it seems, at the
expense of his soul. Partly this is thanks to the support of his
friends, most famously his childhood buddy Affleck, with whom he
has been so closely entwined in the public eye that they now try
to avoid speaking about each other to the press. ("It's not like
we're bitching ex-husbands, or anything," Damon says.) More
important, it's thanks to his family. They're quite a clan:
liberal, intellectual, active in social causes, politically
sophisticated. "They're the most fun, most interesting people,"
says Skylar Ulrich, the former girlfriend who was the model for
the role Minnie Driver played in Good Will Hunting, and who's now
a doctor, married to Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. "They're
really tight knit, and yet they're very individual."
Damon is close to both his father Kent Damon, a retired
stockbroker whose marriage to Matt's mother ended when Matt was
two, and his older brother Kyle, 32, a sculptor. But it's his
mother, Nancy Carlsson-Paige, who seems to have had the most
influence. When colleagues at Lesley College in Cambridge, Mass.,
asked Carlsson-Paige for her son's autograph for their daughters,
she instead invited the daughters to a discussion group. She
showed them pictures of Matt at their age and explained that he
was just a regular person, like them. She acknowledges, however,
that in one way her son is different. "It's unusual for children
to become interested in something really young and then stay with
it their whole lives," says Carlsson-Paige, who encouraged her
son as she watched him use her hats, tablecloths, necklaces and
gloves to make himself into characters from the time he was two.
"But that's Matthew. He came to me when he was eight and said, 'I
know what I want to be when I grow up.' And I said, 'What's that,
honey?,' knowing exactly what he would say. And when he said, 'An
actor,' I said, 'That's nice. Now go out and play.'" And in some
ways, that's exactly what he still does.
The things that make the real-life Damon a star--his agreeable
features, easy smile and whelpish energy--keep the audience glued
to his side in The Talented Mr. Ripley despite the repulsive acts
his character commits. His apple-pie qualities are essential to
the moral disquiet Minghella strives to create in the audience.
But they don't necessarily make Damon a good actor. If Damon has
a demon, it is that he thinks the jury is still out on whether he
can act. "Gwyneth [Paltrow] can walk into a scene and be talking
about something else, and they say 'Action!' and she turns into
the person she's playing," says Damon of his Ripley co-star. "My
life would be a lot easier if I could do that." But those who
have directed him demur. "He's way stronger than he thinks he
is," says Billy Bob Thornton, who worked with him on All the
Pretty Horses. Notes Minghella of Damon's work in Ripley: "It's
not a display performance. But the journey that he makes in the
film is extraordinary. It's so carefully drawn." And both of them
use the exact same phrase: "He just gets it."
He seems to get the fame thing too. When the school that rejected
Damon 20 years ago wrote recently asking for a photograph for its
75th-anniversary wall display, Damon and his mother talked it
over for a while. What he had predicted had come to pass.
"Karmically, it was big," says Damon. A pause. "Of course I'll
send them something." Of course.
--With reporting by Georgia Harbison
MATT'S MULTIPLE MOVIE IDENTITIES
SCHOOL TIES Damon played against type as an anti-Semitic bully
who targets the new kid in school, Brendan Fraser
COURAGE UNDER FIRE The small role of a guilt-stricken junkie
soldier investigated by Denzel Washington was his breakthrough
GOOD WILL HUNTING In the film that changed it all, Damon played a
genius with a troubled soul, and Robin Williams was his therapist
ROUNDERS As a reformed gambler drawn back into the world of
high-stakes poker, he displayed the anguish of a good guy with a
bad habit
THE RAINMAKER His first starring role, as a greenhorn lawyer
mentored by Danny DeVito, traded on his natural aura of integrity
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN He was appealingly forthright as the title
character and held his own alongside Tom Hanks, left, and Ed
Burns
DOGMA Reteaming with buddy Ben Affleck, he explored his comic
side, as an angel trying to get back to heaven via New Jersey
Male Female
Under 21 A- A-
21-34 A- A-
35 + B+ B+
