Updated 7/29/2004


Matt on the cover of Boston Magazine
Calendar
      07/30 -- Matt on Live with Regis and Kelly (pre-taped)
      09/07 -- Rounders Special Edition DVD available
      12/10 -- Ocean's Twelve opens in US theaters
      02/01/05 -- The Brothers Grimm opens in US theaters (date TBD)
      10/01/05 -- Syriana opens in US theaters fourth quarter (date TBD)
7/29/2004
  • Some quotes from an interview at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

    Didn't you learn to play golf for "The Legend of Bagger Vance?"
    (Laughs.) Now, there's an example of working really hard to learn something and not having it impact the character that much. I mean, repeating that movement (a golf swing) over and over didn't inform me one bit about the character. I'm not happy with my own work in that movie. I was so honored to work with Redford, and Charlize (Theron) and Will (Smith) were great. I still feel I didn't carry my weight in that film. But I loved working with Redford.

    Back then, you used words like "weird," "creepy," "unhealthy" and "trippy" to describe your sudden celebrity. Are you more reconciled to it now?
    Certainly more than I was then. It's impossible to describe. I've heard people say, you have to go through it to know it, and I thought, c'mon, it can't be that big a deal. But it really is. Anonymity is something nobody ever questions, and the loss of it is very hard to explain. If you walk into a room, suddenly people are looking at you, instead of whatever else they were doing. And the sum total of all these little incidents starts to change you. It changes the way you're looking at the world and the way the world is looking at you. And the way those two are interacting.

    So, when is Harvard going to cough up that honorary degree? (Damon dropped out before completing his senior year.)
    They're still holding out for that $40 grand.

    For the Matt Damon Theatre?
    No. For the Matt Damon Senior Year.

  • Some random (and probably false) stories from contactmusic.

    Damon chased by fighting paparazzi

    Matt Damon is used to leading a quiet life away from the screen - so he was surprised when arguing paparazzi chased him and his girlfriend through the streets of Los Angeles.

    The Bourne Supremacy actor and girlfriend Luciana Barroso noticed they were being followed by two different sets of photographers, before the cameramen started arguing amongst themselves.

    Damon, 33, says, "It was three in the afternoon and they were driving really fast on the wrong side of the road through school zones.

    "I could see the headline, 'Child killed by idiots', so I slowed down to say, 'Guys, there's no need to rush.'

    "It ended with one of the paparazzi cars crashing into the other and then they got out and started fighting, so we went home alone."

    Damon credits girlfriend for down-to-earth attitude

    Matt Damon credits his relationship with girlfriend Luciana Barroso for keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

    The Bourne Supremacy actor concedes Hollywood stars receive preferential treatment, but Argentinian-born Barroso gives Damon a sense of perspective on his "weird" lifestyle and how people react to him.

    The 33-year-old says, "It's like a fresh pair of eyes looking at a rough cut of a film.

    "She sees things that you don't see any more, like the way people treat you differently when they meet you, all the insidious little things.

    "It's always good to have somebody who's new to your life to say, 'Boy, that was really weird'. And it reminds me that my life is really weird."

  • From kyw1060.com.

    Audiences seem impressed by the movie's exciting stunts -- certainly a car chase and, by all means, an underwater scene which terrified even Matt Damon:

    "After the first day of shooting, all night I woke up anticipating the next day of shooting, going, '(gasp) I was just having bad dreams. I was just reliving what I went through the past day.' Being underwater, not being able to breathe, calling for air. So when the sequence was done I was happy. But there was also this cool sense of accomplishment because I'd made it through and not completely freaked out."

  • An article about the Boise premiere:

    It was near pandemonium outside the Egyptian as Damon and Marshall made their way along the red carpet barraged by the cacophony of young women and even some men screaming, "Matt!"

    Despite the schizophrenic weather, Matt Damon fans came out in scores while Marshall joked, "What am I? Chopped liver?" Marshall, who has ties to the Piper Pub in downtown Boise, is known for putting on many benefits for non-profit organizations. When asked how he liked Boise, Matt Damon replied, "I love it here - except for that guy that just grabbed my ass!" Prior to interviews an unknown assailant took it upon himself to sexually assault Mr. Damon eliciting a prompt response from security guards.

7/27/2004
  • The three-day total for The Bourne Supremacy was revised to $52.5 million, as detailed in this Universal press release:

    Universal Pictures' "The Bourne Supremacy," the follow-up to the 2002 international hit "The Bourne Identity," opened in first place at the domestic box office over the weekend, earning an impressive three-day take of $52,521,865. With 3,165 playdates, the Kennedy / Marshall production took in an impressive $16,595 per screen average, besting the opening three-day gross of "The Bourne Identity" ($27,118,640) and scoring a career best opening for star Matt Damon. The muscular debut also ranks "The Bourne Supremacy" as the strongest opening ever for any franchise spy thriller entry.

    "Audiences were clearly looking for something that featured action as well as a strong story," said Nikki Rocco, president, distribution, Universal Pictures. "So much of the product out there right now is high-concept and visual-effects driven. As we proved with the first Bourne film, moviegoers are eager for a summer blockbuster that has substance as well as style. This film delivers on many levels, as our exit polls clearly showed. Strong reviews and good word-of-mouth should continue to drive audiences to theaters to experience this exciting ride of a movie."

  • From Liz Smith's column today:

    I saw "The Bourne Supremacy" over the weekend. Wow, what a ride! Although I missed the character development of the first Bourne film and wanted to see more of Franka Potente, who was so good as Matt Damon's girlfriend, the movie packs a wallop, and Damon has a tense, urgent presence that expresses emotion without the need for a lot of dialogue. He has a wonderful quality of stillness, especially effective in a slam- bang action flick. I hope the next "Bourne" is in the works.
  • A pic of Matt leaving the Ivy restaurant in LA is at right - taken from this site.

  • An article about Bourne writer Tony Gilroy is here, and an interview with stunt coordinator Dan Bradley is here, including:

    During the high-speed car chase that provides the rousing climax to "The Bourne Supremacy," if star Matt Damon appears to be taking every terrifying turn in the stolen taxi that Jason Bourne is driving through the streets of Moscow, it's because he is. Sort of.

    Damon's car is actually bolted to a revolutionary stunt vehicle called the Go Mobile -- developed by the film's stunt coordinator, Dan Bradley -- that allowed him to be part of the chase, while being chauffeured at breakneck speeds by a stunt driver. Damon's code name for these scenes was "N.A.R." (No Acting Required), because, as Bradley says, "For him it was all real."

    The scene has had much the same effect on audiences, who made "Bourne" the top film at the box office, grossing an estimated $53.5 million.

    During production, the Go Mobile turned the pounding chase scene -- all of which Bradley shot himself, while director Paul Greengrass was working on other scenes in another country -- into a kind of amusement-park ride for Damon. "He was apologizing for laughing during the first couple of takes, but I didn't care," Bradley says. "It was exhilarating, frankly, watching him flying through traffic at 60 miles an hour. When Matt jumped out, he said to me, 'That's the most fun I ever had in a movie!'"

7/26/2004
  • The Bourne Supremacy earned an estimated $53.5 million over the opening weekend, with final figures available later today. That places it 6th on the list of best opening weekends of the year, Universal's highest of the year, and Matt's highest opening weekend by far. Here's trade paper Variety's summary:

    Could "Bourne" be the new Bond?

    Universal's "The Bourne Supremacy" bowed to a boffo $53.5 this weekend, unspooling at 3,165 locations.

    The spy thriller opened bigger than any pic in the James Bond series, topping 2002's "Die Another Day's" $47 million debut, and beat the bow of the biggest-opening Tom Clancy film, "The Sum of All Fears," which grossed $31 million on its first weekend in 2002.

    Studio was optimistic going into the weekend, but U didn't expect to nearly double original "Bourne Identity's" $27.1 million opening and set its best opening of the year, topping the $51 million drawn by "Van Helsing."

    Reigning supreme

    Start for "Supremacy" should send U execs rushing to get the third "Bourne" pic under way in hopes that they have a new long-living espionage franchise on their hands.

    "Supremacy" is the sixth largest opener of the year, trailing "Shrek 2," "Spider-Man 2," "The Passion of the Christ," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and "The Day After Tomorrow."

    U distrib prexy Nikki Rocco said of the thriller, "I never thought we would do 50-anything."

    U says the budget for "Supremacy" was $75 million, which comes in on the low end for this summer's blockbusters.

    Key to surpassing the $50 million opening weekend mark, she said, was a strong fan base for the original film, as exit surveys showed that 92% of the aud had seen "Identity" and 62% had seen it on the bigscreen. Studio polls also showed the aud was just about evenly divided by gender and skewed slightly older, with 55% over the age of 30.

    "The people who showed up were the same people who showed up for 'Bourne Identity,' " Rocco said.

    Earlier film grossed $121.7 million domestically but has also done considerable biz on DVD. U released a second homevid version of "Identity" (modestly dubbed "The Explosive Extended Edition") timed to the theatrical bow of "Supremacy," and initial sales figures show it to be the top-selling title of the week.

  • The Hollywood Reporter summary:

    Heading into the weekend, most observers thought the Paul Greengrass-helmed "Supremacy," from the Kennedy/Marshall Co., would open in the high-$30 million range, hitting $40 million on the top end.

    Speaking to the surprisingly strong debut of "Supremacy," Nikki Rocco, president of distribution at Universal Pictures, said: "Everyone at Universal is overjoyed by this opening. My hope was that it would be better than 'Identity' and visualized something in the high-$30 million area. But on Friday morning, all indications were that if would exceed that." The budget for "Supremacy" was about $75 million.

  • And USA Today, with a few comments also from LA Daily News and NY Times.

    Based on the Robert Ludlum novel, Bourne took in a strong $53.5 million, according to Nielsen EDI. The movie made nearly $20 million more than some analysts had predicted, especially surprising because summer fare typically attracts moviegoers 25 and younger.

    But about 55% of the Bourne audience was 30 or over, says Nikki Rocco of Universal Studios, which released the movie. "I think older audiences are craving some old-style action over all the explosions and computer effects, and this movie had it."

    Rocco attributes the film's success in part to the popularity of the 2002 film The Bourne Identity, which took in $121.7 million and was the most-rented home video of 2003. "There was a pent-up demand," she says. "People have come to love Matt as that character."

    "I couldn't envision this," said Nikki Rocco, Universal's president of domestic distribution. "Why would I think this could open bigger than any James Bond or Tom Clancy movie?"

    Universal executives said they did not expect such a strong opening, which rivaled that of far more expensive summer fare. "Unbelievable," said Nikki Rocco, the head of distribution for Universal. "I knew it would be successful, we all felt the buzz, but still."

  • And when you're hot... Matt's tipped to play Lance Armstrong in a film of the cyclist's life (well, Good Will Hunting was cited by Lance as a motivating factor in his races and return from cancer) - here.

  • More details about the new LivePlanet project from the NY Post.

  • Many thanks to Caroline for sending me the scans of Matt's interview in Boston Magazine. It will be on the site soon.

7/25/2004
  • Wow. The Bourne Supremacy earned approximately $19.1 million on Friday, and projections are that it could earn over $50 million for the three day weekend. That would easily make the film Matt's best ever solo opening, and would even surpass the opening weekends for both Ocean's Eleven and Saving Private Ryan, according to Box Office Mojo.

  • The Extended Edition of the Bourne Identity DVD is also the number one selling DVD at the moment, according to the Hollywood Reporter:

    'BOURNE' AGAIN: "The Bourne Identity" expanded edition debuted as the top-selling DVD for the week ending July 18, according to First Alert. Universal sold 123,566 copies of the thriller in the first week of its release. "The Bourne Supremacy," the sequel to the Matt Damon starrer, hits theaters Friday.

  • An interview with Matt in People was kindly scanned by Sandi, and I have placed the scans on a separate page - here. I also have scans of the Playboy and Entertainment Weekly interviews (again thanks to Sandi), and they will be available on the site soon.

  • A good radio interview with Matt from an Atlanta station is available here.

  • An amusing line from a widely circulated Supremacy review:

    A little cheat sheet for those who can't keep Ben Affleck and Matt Damon straight: Affleck is the brunet, Damon the blond. Affleck is tall, Damon is kinda short. Affleck makes cruddy movies, Damon makes good ones.

  • A new LivePlanet project has been announced - details here:

    Spike TV, LivePlanet to Create Small Business Reality Contest

    Spike TV signed a deal with LivePlanet, the production company founded by actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and producers Sean Bailey and Chris Moore, to produce a new series, American Start-Up.

    Part Project Greenlight and part The Apprentice, American Start-Up offers eight young businesses $50,000 to compete in front of a panel of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists for a significant financial investment that will help take their businesses to the next level. The 10-episode series premieres next year.

7/24/2004
  • Photos of Matt and Lucy walking in NY last week are at ISIFA. Both are wearing the Lance Armstrong Foundation's Live Strong wristbands - more details here.



  • New quotes are from a Orange County Register interview:

    During his career slump, Damon said he had nothing better to do that day so he accepted an invitation from young director Doug Liman.

    "I thought it was one of those lunches that actors have with directors to discuss the movie business in general, but I thought it strange that he kept bringing up the subject of "The Bourne Identity." "When I finally asked him about it, he told me he was directing the movie. I asked him who he was thinking of to play Jason Bourne, and he said it was me.

    "I was floored," Damon said. "I knew the Ludlum books and I had my own idea of who should play the character. I was thinking of someone like Russell Crowe. I was totally shocked that Doug was thinking of me. The character in the books is in his 40s, and I look like I'm 14."

    Liman was persistent, and the baby-faced Damon began the process of trying to look older than 14. Damon, 33, said he never worked harder to get into a character, and he credited a combination of factors for helping him to achieve his goal of looking older, tougher and meaner.

    "Part of it is what you're thinking about," he explained. "The more you smile, the younger you look, so I stopped smiling. Then I thought bad thoughts. This guy has a lot of bad stuff on his mind so I kept thinking about a lot of bad stuff.

    "A lot of the film was shot at night, which gives it more of a dark, moody and serious tone. Then there was an amazing makeup artist who worked with the cinematographer to make me look older and tougher. It was the opposite of vanity makeup."

    "All the training helps to create a sense of realism," Damon said, "but I still don't think of myself as a real action hero. I'm certainly not one of those action heroes who walks around bare-chested in a movie with a bandanna on his head and a big gun in each hand. I'll never be that guy."

    The interview includes a rare reference to Lucy:

    "I just keep living my life like normal," he said. "You can't change the way you live because you're afraid of getting your picture taken or what someone might say about you."

    But that was before he left for Europe, where he's been filming nonstop for the past 18 months. Many of those months were spent hanging out with George Clooney and Brad Pitt during filming of "Ocean's Twelve." Those guys are tabloid magnets, and Damon got caught up in their superstar glow.

    What has filled the tabloids is a steady stream of photographs of Damon with his new girlfriend, an Argentine whom he met in Miami, where she worked as a bartender.

    "I got a good feeling from her and we started e-mailing each other," the actor said. "Four months after we met, she was passing through Prague, where I was filming, and the rest is history."

    Now that filming on "Ocean's Twelve" has been completed, Damon said he hopes tabloid interest in his new relationship will wane. My only fear is that they (the tabloids and gossip magazines) will keep me in the club. Once you become one of their cover boys, you're pretty much through in this business."
  • A video and story from Matt's appearance on the Early Show is here. Thanks to Del and Natasha. A picture of Matt outside the studio is at right.

  • This story is doing the rounds - from IMDB:

    Halle Berry left Matt Damon red faced when the Oscar winners appeared on MTV show Total Request Live together yesterday - when she confessed to having a crush on him. Damon blushed as Berry recalled meeting the actor for the first time on The Tonight Show in America, just after his big break in Good Will Hunting. She recalled, "Remember I saw you on Jay Leno and you were a guest there, and you seemed so brand new at the time. I remember thinking, 'God, he is so bleepity bleeping hot.' That movie (Good Will Hunting) really stuck in my mind because I watched it with extra zeal because I'd just met you on the stage that night."

  • Interesting details about choosing the Bourne Supremacy director from the Oklahoman.

    "Normally, once the budget gets north of a certain number, the studio is incentivized to make the characters as simple as possible," Damon said. "The good guy wears a white hat, and the bad guy twists his mustache."

    "The Bourne Identity" benefited from director Doug Liman's storytelling dexterity: a sharp, whip-smart sensibility honed on small-budget ensemble films including "Swingers" and "Go." Due to scheduling conflicts - Liman was filming "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the time - Damon and producer Frank Marshall turned to Paul Greengrass for "Supremacy."

    Damon said he and Marshall primarily looked at indie filmmakers, such as "21 Grams" director Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu and Fernando Meirelles of "City of God," before choosing Greengrass, the acclaimed writer and director of 200's "Bloody Sunday."

    "It's the same kind of theory behind the first one: You take someone who's done really great small-budget movies and just give him just a bigger canvas," Damon said. "What they end up not doing is making the kind of obvious choices that people who generally work in that arena are used to making."

  • Matt talks about Brothers Grimm in this article.

7/23/2004
  • The potential project with Martin Scorsese that Matt mentioned in the EW interview has been confirmed as the remake of Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs. The film will also star Leonardo Di Caprio and be set in Boston. Sounds just about perfect. Details from Variety and the Hollywood Reporter.

    Damon goes undercover for WB: Thesp joins DiCaprio in gangster pic 'Departed'
    By Claude Brodesser, Cathy Dunkley

    Matt Damon is going back undercover.

    Damon is set to star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese's police thriller "The Departed" previously known as "Infernal Affairs"at Warner Bros.

    Based on the Chinese-lingo Hong Kong gangster pic of the same name ("Wu jian dao"), "Infernal" will be reset in Boston amid Irish-American mobsters and the cops who are their nemeses. Damon would play a gangster who has infiltrated the Boston police department as part of its cadet class and has been steadily rising through the ranks. DiCaprio will play a cop who's been deep undercover inside the mob and is starting to come unglued. Each side works feverishly to flush the mole out, with deadly consequences.

    Pic, penned by William Monahan, is being produced by Scorsese as well as Brad Grey, Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's Plan B shingle. Remake czar Roy Lee and his producing partner, Doug Davison, exec produce via their Vertigo Entertainment banner.

    Damon infiltrating Scorsese's 'Departed'

    LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Matt Damon, who hits theaters Friday in "The Bourne Supremacy," is in talks to star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Departed," Martin Scorsese's remake of the Hong Kong crime saga "Infernal Affairs."

    The Warner Bros. project revolves around a gangster who infiltrates the police department and a cop infiltrates the gangs at the same time. The two find out that a mole is in each organization and race to find each other's identity.

    Scorsese's version shifts the action to Damon's hometown of Boston. Instead of Hong Kong triads, the criminal element is the Mafia. Damon would portray the mob's mole, while DiCaprio plays the undercover cop.

    Damon is shooting "Ocean's Twelve" and recently completed "The Brothers Grimm." He next stars in the geopolitical thriller "Syriana." DiCaprio and Scorsese worked together in "Gangs of New York" and the upcoming Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator."
  • Another very good interview with Matt is at the San Francisco Chronicle, and excerpts are below. Thanks to Sue, Kay and Jeff.

    "Doug had some run-ins with the studio, so they decided, mutually, that he wouldn't be back,'' Damon says. "I was disappointed in that he is my friend. They bounced other names around to direct, and Paul's name came up. I hadn't seen 'Bloody Sunday' at the time, but after I watched it I said, 'If there's any chance we can get this guy, I'd do the movie with him.' ''

    He's currently seeing Luciana Barroso, described on the Internet as an interior designer, but actually a bartender in Miami and a single mom. "It's great to be around her 5-year-old daughter,'' Damon says. "I've always wanted to have kids, but I'm not in any rush. I want to do it in the right way, take my time. Who knows what will happen? But if I were a betting person, I would not bet on my ending up with a celebrity.''

    "Obviously, if 'Supremacy' comes out and tanks versus if it comes out and does great means two very different things for my career. But personally, it means nothing.'' Damon pauses and repeats the word "nothing'' for emphasis.

    He's already got more money socked away than he can ever spend, and his family is not the kind that expects to be lavished with expensive gifts. "We've never been a 'stuff' kind of family. If I bought my mother a Mercedes, she would sell it, buy a Toyota and give the rest to charity.

    "If this movie doesn't pan out, that doesn't mean all the work is going to dry up. It's just that big-project movies won't let me be the headliner. But there are plenty of other gigs out there.''

    Damon smiles at the suggestion that scoring with both "Bourne Supremacy'' and "Ocean's Twelve'' could be worse than the alternative. "Bourne'' could be born again, and with "Ocean's'' the possibilities are almost infinite.

    "Everyone says, 'Oh, you've got to get a franchise,' '' he acknowledges. "But at the end of the day, stand-alone movies with a good script and an interesting character are more my style. I would do movies like that for the rest of my career. But the reality is that they're not out there.''

  • Other interviews are at CNN, Washington Times and Vallejo News, with another Matt v Ben comparison at Fox News. Photos at right are of Matt outside the Letterman studio Thursday.

  • Other interviews at Boston Magazine and the National Post look to be worthwhile but cannot be accessed online. Can anyone access the interviews or send me the scans? Thanks.

  • An interview with Bourne director Paul Greengrass is at JoBlo.com.

    What was it like working with Matt Damon? Did he help you integrate into the whole mainstream film franchise thing?

    Well, we had a blast. I think that was the number one thing. It was a fantastically - I can't speak for him, I can only speak for myself - it was a fantastically rich, interesting, exciting, creative partnership. I think the relationship between a director and the leading actor, whether it's male or female, is a tremendously important relationship because together you in a sense see the scope of the whole film, because the central character, the arc of that journey is what is going to deliver your story. There are other characters, but essentially that relationship is what films stand or fall on.

    When they first asked me if I was interested in doing the film, I went to see him in Prague and we had dinner and I just felt - I think we both felt - that we saw absolutely, in broad concepts, the same. You know, what we wanted to achieve out of the film, the feel of it, what we wanted it to say, the balance between the elements that we're gonna challenge and the elements that were gonna be the action/adventure, suspense elements. Because I think a film like this is what makes the Bourne franchise interesting. It delivers a fantastic ride, a first-class piece of entertainment, but I think it also delivers a compelling character, a character played with emotional realism and a kind of contemporary take. And you put those three elements together and that's what makes the Bourne films special. And I think he and I tried to take that and test that character more profoundly than they've been tested before.
  • Reviews for Bourne Supremacy are very good, and at the time of writing the film has a 71 rating on Metacritic and a 77% rating at Rotten Tomatoes, with a cream of the crop score of 80%. Reviews from the LA Times and the NY Times are particularly good. Some excerpts - firstly from USA Today:

    But this gripping film is not just about edge-of-the-seat action. The cast is even more impressive than in the first film: Joan Allen is the new standout as a driven but compassionate CIA official bent on tracking down hired assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon, brilliant again). Returning are Julia Stiles, in an assured turn; and Brian Cox, in a nuanced performance.

    But the movie belongs to Damon, whose Bourne is manly, exquisitely tough and oddly endearing, given he's a cold-blooded killer. Damon masters a major undertaking: He comes off sympathetically in moments of conscience and conflicted emotion while also being entirely credible as the best and brightest of the CIA's trained killers.

  • From the Boston Globe:

    The connective tissue -- the man they all want to get their hands on -- is played by Damon without an ounce of movie-star fat. The comparison's getting old but it's still worth raising: Where Ben Affleck might showboat his way through this kind of role, his old homeboy underplays to greater effect, furrowing his brow, boring straight ahead, and trying to cut a straight swath through all the manipulations. Damon doesn't ask to be watched and that's why we watch him, and the payoff is a quiet powerhouse of a scene in which, in front of one of the movie's very few innocents, Bourne finally lets his emotions get the better of him.

  • The Houston Chronicle:

    Damon seems to have matured into the role. In most of his previous work, he's come across as a boy playing at being a man. Not here. He's taken on added gravitas. By the movie's end, he's transformed even more. It's impossible to view him the same as before. This may be his best work.

  • The Boston Herald:

    Oddly enough, Cambridge's own Good Will Hunting now takes Tom Cruise's place as the world's top action star, which makes sense when you remember that like Cruise, Damon is both an actor and an accomplished athlete. ``The Bourne Supremacy'' is what Cruise's ``Mission: Impossible'' films tried to be but failed.

    Damon's face can be boyish one moment and a kabuki mask of rage and grief the next, and those boyish looks make Bourne seem even more perverse, like the sweet boy next door who can take your head off in a second.

  • And the Salt Lake Tribune:

    The spy thriller The Bourne Supremacy, a superior sequel to the not-so-riveting The Bourne Identity, shares the attributes of its star, Matt Damon: Solid, down-to-earth, good-looking but not too flashy, and often capable of surprising you.

  • Thanks to Anita for the notice that Matt will be on Regis and Kelly Friday 30 July.

  • An opening weekend prediction from EW:

    'Bourne' Again
    Matt Damon will have box office ''Supremacy.'' Not even Halle in a leather catsuit will stop ''Bourne'', by Dave Karger

    Get ready for Matt Damon, box office king. Two years after ''The Bourne Identity'' became a hit in theaters and a certified smash on DVD, Damon returns with ''The Bourne Supremacy,'' which is riding strong buzz going into its debut weekend.

    ''The Bourne Identity'' opened in 2002 with $27.1 million on its way to $121.7 million in domestic box office. But thanks to ''Identity'''s explosion on video (it was the No. 1 rental of 2003), expect the sequel to premiere substantially higher, in the $40 million range.
  • Here's a radio interview and 'Today' recap from Sandi (thanks):

    Matt was interviewed on my radio station, KROQ with Kevin and Bean. It was a phone-in interview, and in the studio with Kevin and Bean was David Allen Grier, being really obnoxiously funny. He was cracking Matt up. Kevin was asking Matt about the stunts and things with Bourne Supremacy, and Grier kept hushing Kevin and saying 'Now, Matt...what does it feel like to win the 6th flag in the Tour de France....I'll wait for your answer." Matt was just laughing constantly. David Grier is a funny guy. They talked a little about Baseball and Matt's favorite boston players right now (Martinez and Kurt Schilling (both pitchers))..they made a couple jokes about Johnny Damon being Matt's brother...David asked Matt if he was married, Matt said no...then David asked 'So my brother, how was Berlin...really?' (being perverted of course) but Matt laughed and said 'Working 6 days a week brother, not much time for anything else.'

    Earlier this morning, I watched Matt on the Today show with Katie Couric. You could tell Matt was really tired because every other word was 'Um....and....'ya know'...The interview was pretty uneventful, just discussion about filming Bourne Identity, and how Matt was getting messed up on this one because of the stunts. They showed a clip of Matt on the set of Bourne S. with an ice pack on his lip. Then she asked him what's next, and he said he's heading back to L.A. today to finish O12.

7/22/2004
  • The NY premiere was not held last night, but Matt did appear on MTV's TRL yesterday, with appearances scheduled for Today and Letterman Thursday.

  • New interviews are here, MSN, the Idaho Statesman (longer version), and this one at AP. Separately, this is from the NY Daily News:

    Meanwhile, Affleck's Boston buddy Matt Damon, who's been in New York with new girlfriend Luciana Barroso, admits that he's never voted.

    The "Bourne Supremacy" star tells Playboy, "My reasoning has always been that because I'm from Massachusetts, everyone I would have voted for didn't need my vote. That's changing now because of where we're going in this country. I'll vote for John Kerry."

    Damon, 33, is trying to make amends for the 15 years he passed up the chance to exercise his right. He's donated $20,000 to the MoveOn.org Voter Fund.

  • This is the description of an amusing article in the next issue of In Touch magazine:

    Is Ben jealous of Matt?
    Ben Affleck has hit a rough patch in his career and personal life, while his buddy Matt Damon's star continues to rise. Is their friendship in trouble?

  • Thanks to Courtney for the picture of Matt outside the Oklahoma City screening earlier in the week.
  • New favourable reviews are at the Chicago Tribune, Akron Beacon Journal, Roger Ebert, and Owen Gleiberman at EW (who gave it an A). Here's part of the EW review:

    I couldn't begin to guess how many separate shots make up a standard thriller, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that there are twice as many in The Bourne Supremacy. The director, Paul Greengrass, employs handheld cameras and shoots everything that happens -- a car crashing off a bridge, an assassin strolling through a hotel lobby -- from a dozen angles at once, arranging the images into what looks like a chain reaction of jump cuts.

    Except that the movie, as breathless as it is, never leaps too far out of the moment. It surrounds the moment, in all its adrenaline and chaos. It immerses us in the emotional thick of the action.

    From the outset, Bourne is in too much hot water to worry about ''who he is,'' and though he's haunted by flashbacks to a mysterious mission, Damon plays him as a shell running on instinct, with a wasted, nearly sociopathic edge.

    The whirring Damon mind, tucked beneath the actor's aging-choirboy look, is a magnetic and fascinating machine. He has a singular ability to act fervently preoccupied yet casually focused on whatever's in front of him, and that serves him brilliantly in a thriller like this one, which sees threats in every car and pedestrian and hotel room. He's a tightly wired image of grace under the pressure of awareness. Each shot in The Bourne Supremacy, no matter how quick, carries a new perception, a new sliver of information, and that mirrors the way Bourne thinks -- with his nerve endings extended, at once frayed and fully alive. Even the fights have an ominous unpredictability. In the first film, Bourne slipped into robotic martial-arts mode. Here, he's clawing for his life.

  • A line from the Las Vegas Mercury review:

    Like Shrek and Spidey before him, Jason Bourne is back, better than before -- the ideal, conflicted, complex hero for our troubled, amoral times.
7/21/2004
  • The New York premiere of Bourne Supremacy is likely to be held tonight. Meanwhile, another good interview is at the Baltimore Sun. Some excerpts:

    In a crisp, light blue button-down and jeans, looking more attractive and surprisingly younger in person than on screen, he extends his hand and smiles warmly.

    "Hi, I'm Matt. Do you want juice or anything?" he asks before settling into a chair to eyeball his already cold oatmeal.

    It's all so ... normal. Despite the penthouse suite setting, the publicists and staff flitting beyond the study doors, and the fact that the warmly smiling young man is Hollywood mega-star Matt Damon, ready to discuss his latest film, The Bourne Supremacy, things seem relaxed, casual, almost familiar. And suddenly, it's easy to understand why Damon has been cast in the almost 30 roles he's played in the last decade alone: The 33-year-old actor has a kind of non-threatening appeal that puts those in contact with him - even journalists - at ease, a boy-next-door type if ever there was one...

    As the talented Matt Damon matures both on and off screen, he will no doubt test his reputation for being extremely, well ... nice. It's virtually impossible to find a negative word about his personal character; on the contrary, his colleagues seem to make a point about how "normal," "down-to-earth" and "friendly" he is; an all-around great guy, in the opinion of many.

    But whether his success stems more from talent or temperament, Hollywood is now Damon's oyster. And as he makes the crossover to more mature roles from his teen-heartthrob days, he is keeping his options open for the future.

    "The great part about this life, and the part that's been everything I've wanted and hoped for, is working on projects that I like with directors that I like," says Damon, leaning forward in his seat, blue eyes fixed intently.

    But having proven himself as a writer, actor and producer, he has a new goal. "Where I'd like to go eventually is into directing, at least once, to see if I have any talent for telling a story."

    "Which I may not," he adds hastily.
  • Another interview is at the NY Daily News.

    "I can tell the difference between a personality and an actor, and Matt is definitely an actor," says Brian Cox, who plays the "Bourne" villain for the second time. "What's most interesting is that he's in a very embryonic stage. We're watching his career unfold over time."

    Joan Allen, who joins the series as the CIA figure in charge of finding Bourne, recalls Damon's attention to detail.

    "There was a scene where Matt was in a hospital bed, hooked up to monitors, and he turned to the crew and told them that they had the vital signs on the monitor all wrong for Jason Bourne, who was in fantastic shape," she says. "He was that aware of his character's conditioning."

  • Joan Allen also talks about Matt in an interview at JoBlo.com.

    You don't have any on-screen time with Matt Damon, except in a few scenes that were cut. What was your experience working with him?

    He's so smart and so personable. I think that there's a vulnerability to him. I don't know how he plays Jason Bourne because the set of given circumstances are so complicated. It's like he forgot, but he really is a super killer and so you get into a situation and you do this. What's up with that? You're confused too. I think that I get this sense of torment that's not overplayed. It's very subtle. A tormented soul in this incredibly intelligent and subtle way. And I think that makes the audience really care about him. I mean, he's so wonderful to the crew and he's really personable. So on a personal level, he's fantastic and very, very smart. He's really, really smart in terms of the whole film and all of that stuff. I wish that I had more stuff to do with him in the movie. Maybe someday.

  • Yet more interviews are at Teen Hollywood and MSNBC, among others.

  • Jennifer of Eonline talks about her attempts to meet Matt in this feature. Thanks for the site mention Jen.

  • A story about the Oklahoma screening is here.

    Matt Damon and Frank Marshall were in one of the final phases of releasing "The Bourne Supremacy" promotion. Neither the actor nor the film producer relished the interminable interviews and walks down the red carpet, so they decided to make it all worth something.

    As part of the nationwide press tour, Damon and Marshall unveiled "The Bourne Supremacy" on Sunday in Oklahoma City at a benefit for the Children's Center. The private, 24-hour care facility in Bethany offers special education and rehabilitation for children with disabilities stemming from premature birth, congenital defects, physical abuse, illness or neglect.

    The invitation-only event at AMC Quail Springs Mall raised an estimated $100,000. In an interview at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club after the premiere, Damon said this was "a no-brainer."

    "I think for both of us, the kind of reality of promoting a movie is the part of the job we cotton to the least," said Damon, also who starred in 2002's "The Bourne Identity."

    "It's kind of fitting with the kind of person Frank is to think of a smart way for something to come out of this grind of a schedule, he said. "On the first 'Bourne,' we traveled around and didn't come through Oklahoma City, but every place we showed the movie, we did it as a benefit," Damon said. "It felt like the right thing to do for us, so with this one, Frank with his connection with the Children's Center, suggested, 'Let's not do Texas let's go to Oklahoma City.'"

  • An interesting reference to Matt (and probably Ben) is in this Fox story:

    Matt Damon is an excellent actor. Couple that with his athletic abilities and street smarts, and one has an action hero for the new millennium - this generation's Harrison Ford. But those aren't the only reasons Damon's action-star status will be solidified this weekend.

    He's also a nice guy.

    Several years ago I was up for the role of Robin in "Batman and Robin" that eventually went to actor Chris (Whitebread) O'Donnell...Grrr!

    I ran into Damon and one of his good buddies at an Upper West Side bar in Manhattan, and struck up a conversation with Damon about his most recent film at that time, "Geronimo" (these were pre-Oscar days for Damon). During the course of the conversation, I mentioned I had a few callbacks for Robin, and Damon was encouraging and even offered me some pointers on how to win the role.

    Damon's buddy, on the other hand, wanted no part of my "intrusion," and started busting my chops behind my back, trying to get Matt's attention.

    Damon looked at his buddy and said, "Dude, shut the hell up." His buddy complied.

    I haven't missed a Matt Damon movie since, and I applaud his success and his ever-increasing position as the best of all the young Hollywood dudes, right up there with Will Smith and Mark Wahlberg. Now those three should team up for a movie. Grrr! to all the other pretenders.

  • Here's a celeb break-up of note - here:

    It's official: Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and his wife, Skylar, have called it quits. Following PAGE SIX's scoop Sunday that Ulrich was smooching sexy blond "Gladiator" actress Connie Nielsen at Hue in the West Village, the rocker's rep told us: "Lars and Skylar are very private people. They have been separated since March. They didn't think it was anyone's business, but since you've got the story, they're going public with it on Metallica's Web site. They will share custody of their two kids." Skylar, a fetching former flame of Matt Damon's, was the inspiration for Minnie Driver's character in "Good Will Hunting."
  • From the Marilyn Beck/Stacy Jenel Smith column at Netscape entertainment:

    Celeb Scene: Damon Celeb Pals at 'Bourne' Preem

    We've always known that Matt Damon is adored by fans, you can hear them screaming his name from a mile away, but Thursday night proved he's just as loved among Hollywood - sans the screaming, of course.

    Friend after friend showed up for "The Bourne Supremacy" premiere at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood and we're not referring to any average Joe. We're talking Ben Affleck, George Clooney with rekindled flame Lisa Snowdon on his arm, Bruce Willis, Ethan Hawke, director Kevin Smith, Ray Liotta, Leelee Sobieski, and other Ocean's Twelve co-stars Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, and Scott Caan.

    Smith, who took time away from what he calls a small, low budget film for Miramax called "The Green Hornet" told us, "I'm a big fan of Matt's and I did like the first movie quite a bit."

    Matt assures us, though, that you do not have to see the first movie to understand the second one. "This works as a stand-alone movie. It obviously helps if you see the first one because you'll have more attachment to the character," explains Matt. "But I've met a couple of people who've seen this movie in press screenings who didn't see the first one and really liked it."

    His co-stars Franka Potente, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Joan Allen, and Gabriel Mann were all on hand, expressing the same feelings. Mann, who plays a CIA agent in both movies, adds, "We take what made the first movie interesting and flip it right up to the next level and take it right over the top but in a good way. It's really intense."

    The anticipation was heavy to see Jason Bourne take up his former life as a trained assassin as a means of survival after being framed for a botched CIA operation. But will Bourne find his identity? According to Matt, "He's going to get closer. He's going to get a lot of important pieces."

    After the movie, a very satisfied crowd including sports stars Jennifer Capriati, Serena Williams, and Magic Johnson headed to the gigantic after party held at the new hip, culturally creative Sunset + Vine complex which features restaurants, shops, and modern living. Guests enjoyed everything from sushi and German bratwurst to mini hamburgers and margaritas flowing out of ice sculptures -- while listening to the sounds of a Japanese drum line. As if the event wasn't fun enough, it even raised $115,000 for UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television.

    The only thing Matt had to complain about was not getting enough smooching time in the film: "I would definitely say there's less kissing." Which he agrees is upsetting because, "The kissing is fun for me." You can't keep a good man down, though. He was smiling the whole night while surrounded by friends and fans giving him congratulatory remarks. Matt seemed genuinely happy about the support.

    "Yeah, everyone showed up. It's really cool," Matt says. And he's modest too.

  • Part of a NY Press review:

    Best of all is Damon, who gives one of the great action-film performances of recent times. You could probably fit all his dialogue on two single-spaced pages, but he doesn't fill the character's silence by over-emoting. He's opaque in a good way; he lets you sense what Bourne is feeling without revealing what he's thinking. And throughout The Bourne Supremacy, he lets you know that on a subrational level, Bourne is aware of the irony of his predicament: The same lethal skills he wishes he'd never learned are the only thing keeping him alive. There's moral intelligence in Damon's acting. He makes Bourne a walking contradiction befitting our bleak times: a murderous victim.

  • Lisa writes that Matt will be on WGN Chicago news this morning. And thanks to Sandi for today's main picture of Matt and Lucy at the LA premiere.

  • Finally, my thanks to Jeff of Salt Lake City for his report of the Boise screening last weekend:

    I had the opportunity to attend the advance screening of 'Bourne Supremacy' and the VIP reception with Matt and producer Frank Marshall in Boise, Idaho. I attended the first (5:00 pm) screening of the evening, which was introduced by Frank Marshall. In his brief comments, Mr. Marshall mentioned that Matt has been "a busy boy," so that they were lucky to have been able to get him to film 'Supremacy' between 'Brothers Grimm' and 'Ocean's 12.'

    After the end credits of the movie, Frank Marshall started to walk out on to the stage, and pretended to have to pull a playfully unwilling Matt Damon out on to the stage with him. Mr. Marshall and Matt then traded a wireless microphone back and forth a couple times as they made a couple comments, basically just to the effect that they'd be available to answer any questions we had for them at the reception in the Boise Art Center, which would commence within a few minutes.

    An individual who was facilitating the event then said that we should try to clear the auditorium fairly quickly in order to make room for the audience of the second screening to be held immediately thereafter, at which point Matt took the mic and laughingly said something to the effect of, "In other words, we're glad you enjoyed the movie, but now get the hell outta here!"

    So we did! I think even if he wasn't "Matt Damon," he's someone who would turn your head if you saw him walking down the street. His body, his hair, his face, that smile -- they're sensational, and very attention-getting. It's his athletic build and his arresting smile that I'll remember the most. That million-dollar smile of his really is something -- when he breaks into an ear-to-ear grin, it's totally electric! And I have to mention that after hearing it in person, his voice sounds really deep, too. He gives the overall impression of being a very masculine guy, in an especially appealing way.

    A facilitator read questions that apparently had been submitted to them, and Matt and Mr. Marshall took turns answering them. All the questions were polite and very innocuous, and the whole session was quite short. There was also very little time for members of the crowd to meet Matt.

7/19/2004
  • There's a great, long interview with Matt at the Washington Post. Some excerpts:

    He starts telling you about how he spent the night before in Boston, where his new movie "The Bourne Supremacy" was being screened, and how his whole family was there and he'd missed them so much he didn't want to leave, and he pushed back his flight and got in at 2 a.m...

    Damon has variously been described as the nice guy, the boy next door, apple-pie. And while clearly this has to do with the ears and the eyes and the big white teeth, Damon says he thinks it's also connected to the way he behaves during interviews. There are few professional duties he hates more than conducting the shallow, five-minute Q&A's required for movie promotions. Some time ago, he says, a friend advised him to come up with an "alter ego" for these interviews, "so your soul doesn't get, y'know, robbed by doing these things." He calls this personality Mike Smiley, and says that when he watches footage of these interviews he sees Mike Smiley instead of himself.

    "I can't stand to look at it; it doesn't feel like it's who I am," Damon says. "But it feels like the person who's being as polite as possible and just trying to get the thing over with."

    In short, you take Damon seriously. He went to Harvard before dropping out to pursue his dream. He does not come off as needy or too charming. He does not require you to love him and damn, that's appealing.

    He talks about missing the ordinariness of his former life, and the way anonymity allowed him to be a fly on the wall when he was developing characters, and the way it allowed him to simply live.

    "You have to preface everything by saying, 'Look, I'm not complaining, I'm incredibly blessed,' " he says. "But anonymity is something that is an incredibly valuable commodity and you're not aware that it's gone until it's gone. And the experience of it going, it's insidious. You meet people who've been famous for a long time and as much as they try and safeguard against it and as vigilant as they are about trying to protect their humanity, it has an effect."

  • Other interviews are at Moviehole, with a longer version at Dark Horizons, which seems to be a complete transcript of the press conference. Included in this text is discussion about Brothers Grimm, Syriana, The Informant, future travel plans, a potential Bourne sequel etc.

  • And yet more interviews are at about.com, the Toronto Sun, Jo Blo.com, and a good one at the Bergen Record. Thanks to Jackie and Edina.

  • An excerpt from the positive Variety review.

    Once again, Damon scores in the title role by never courting audience sympathy and playing his all-American good looks against the hard-shell brutality of the character. Speaking German and Russian when need be with ease, Damon uses his rugged physicality without hanging any movie star bravado or posing on it, and easily holds the screen in the many scenes when he's the only actor in sight.

  • Natasha saw the Bourne Supremacy review on Ebert & Roeper:

    Just finished watching the Ebert and Roeper show, and not only did they both think the film was "one of the best spy thrillers to come out in ages", they had a lot of GREAT things to say about Matt's acting. He was referred to as one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood, right now, and Roeper also praised him for his range and constant string of excellent performances. They both really enjoyed the film.

7/18/2004
  • Matt and producer Frank Marshall attended the charity screening of Bourne Supremacy in Boise, Idaho, before travelling to Oklahoma City for another screening today. Photos from yahoo and the Idaho Statesman, as are these stories - some excerpts:

    The line started just after 4 p.m. outside the Egyptian Theatre. It was hot, but people didn't seem to mind the wait to get a first look at what is sure to be one of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters this year, and catch a glimpse of its star, Matt Damon.

    The evening was heart pounding, both inside and outside the theater, as Damon and producer Frank Marshall presented their film, "The Bourne Supremacy," for two advance screenings Saturday to benefit Boise Contemporary Theater. The film officially hits theaters Friday. This is the third film in as many years that Marshall has shown in Boise. In 2002 it was "The Bourne Identity," again with Damon, and "Seabiscuit" in 2003 with jockey/actor Gary Stevens.
    Marshall is a major film producer and has close ties to Boise through friends and visits here often. Inside the theater, the film offered the audience a plot-twisting thrill ride. Outside, people scrambled eagerly to get a look at Damon.

    Libby Holl, 18, of Eagle excitedly clutched a small white paper, marked with "Matt Damon." "I got the first autograph," she said, as she waited for the second showing.

    "I got my picture taken with him," said her mother, Suzanne. "I don't know who's more excited, my daughter or me."

    And the film received raves.

    "We loved it," said Carmen Cudena of Boise. "The rush, the excitement and, of course, the acting. Matt is so good. And the bad guy (Karl Urban) was very handsome."

    "I think I like it better than the first one," said Karyn Edwards of Middleton.

    Cudena and Edwards were two of about 600 people who headed to the Boise Art Museum for the VIP reception and a chance to hear Damon and Marshall talk about the film.

    The Q&A was short and sweet. People crowded in on all sides, smiling and standing on tip-toe. When it was done, Damon and Marshall quickly left. They're off to another city tomorrow for another round of screenings.

    In Dana Oland's interview with Matt and Frank Marshall:

    Marshall: One of the things Doug (Liman, the director), and all of us, started on the first movie was that the action had to come out of the story. It wasn't just action for action's sake. In that car chase we wanted to put the camera inside the car more than outside.

    Oland: How long did that take to film?
    Marshall: Four weeks in Moscow, in winter, and two more weeks in Berlin.
    Damon: A lot of that stuff is second unit. Our second unit director Dan Bradley is the best living man doing this kind of stuff. He had actually pitched a hand-held car chase to a studio executive about 12 years ago and was run out of the office. This car chase is kind of like Dan's revenge.
    Oland: Well, he won.
    Marshall: Yeah, and we had to top the first one so we did a different kind of chase.
    Damon: And a different kind of fight. The hand to hand fighting, it seems more observed. Paul's style of being hand-held all the time, it feels much more violent, more brutal and messier and more real.

  • There's a number of interviews around today, and I'll just provide some excerpts and links. The first online was from the Boston Herald:

    "First, I was skeptical about a sequel," the Cambridge star said during an exclusive interview with the Herald. "Even when we promoted the first one and that question came up - would I sign up for the next one? - I said, 'No, there is no next one. It's interesting. I've never done (a sequel), let alone two back to back, so it just kind of worked out that way. In the case of (the upcoming 'Ocean's Twelve'), I trust Steven Soderbergh implicitly and loved working with that whole group of people," he said, referring to George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle, all of whom also returned for "Ocean's Twelve."

    "It's a really fun group to be with, and it's just never a job that I'll say no to," Damon said. "As long as those movies Steven feels like making, and as long as he keeps making them as well as he does, it's just such a great way to spend my time."

    Now that Damon has re-established himself - Terry Gilliam's big-budget fantasy "The Brothers Grimm" opens next year - his personal life is being examined - namely, pictures of him and his girlfriend, interior designer Luciana Barroso. Unlike Affleck, Damon's always been reluctant to reveal anything about his personal life.

    "I think it's a getting a little more play now just because of the 'Ocean's' experience and being around all those other big stars who constantly get that kind of attention," he said. "Normally, I don't get that at all. The whole last year in Europe before the 'Ocean's' movie, I don't think that there was one picture taken of me by a paparazzi."

    Damon was happy about that.

    "I'm hoping really that life kind of goes back to that for me, which it normally does,'' he said. "I mean, after `Good Will Hunting,' there was really like a week where people followed me, and then they just kind of gave up. I mean, I don't live a particularly exciting lifestyle.

    "I think that a lot of that stuff is about wish fulfillment in a way; people want to see someone who's going to premieres and living with flash and drives a Rolls Royce, and I'm just not that guy. I won't ever be. So a picture of me walking down a street or going into a bookstore I don't think is ever really going to be a big thing.''

    Although he avoided mentioning Barroso, Damon, who turns 34 this year, hints that fatherhood rather than marriage could be the next step.

    "I'm not marriage-phobic,'' he said. "I definitely want kids even more than I want to be married."

  • There's also a poorly written story from the NY Post with lots of errors (the usual Matt v Ben angle) and this fun Q&A from Newsweek.

    The talented Mr. Damon is back in action with "The Bourne Supremacy," resuming his role as on-the-run Jason Bourne. He spoke with NEWSWEEK's Sean Smith.

    The first "Bourne" gave your career a boost.
    Before "The Bourne Identity" came out, the last two movies I had kind of headlined were "The Legend of Bagger Vance" and "All the Pretty Horses," and the word on the street was that "Bourne" was going to be a turkey. It was like my third strike.

    Instead, it was a home run. Does being "hot" and then "not hot" make you cynical?
    It was kind of like the rose-colored glasses came off. It's not personal. I understand. But, yeah, part of you is like, "F?-ing a?holes!"

    You got in amazing shape for this. That couldn't have been fun.
    It sucked. I had to train for "Bourne" while I was shooting "The Brothers Grimm," so they set up a little room at the studio in Prague where I could box every day after work. But there are worse things people have to do for their jobs.

    Sure. But I can get fat and ugly and still do my job.
    So can I, man.[Laughs]

    The studio PR machine is saying you did a lot of your own stunts.
    Any time you hear an actor bragging about doing his own stunts, you know he's full of s?t. There's nothing so dangerous that you could get hurt. The only thing that scared me was some underwater stuff where I don't have a tank. It wasn't that bad, but I kept waking up in the middle of the night taking huge gulps of air.

    This is your first sequel. In the fall you'll have your second, "Ocean's 12."
    Yeah. I'm a whore.

    Nah. It's not like you're doing the sequel to some crass movie like...
    I can't say it, man. You've got to say it.

    "Armageddon." [Laughs] There you go.

  • An interview from U Film:

    Matt Damon admits that the old all-work/no-play description could be applied to him. But maybe not the dull-boy result. Although the 33-year-old actor has been working constantly for the last several years, he's just as interesting now as he was back in 1997, when Damon and childhood buddy Ben Affleck first became stars (and, soon after, Oscar-winning screenwriters) with "Good Will Hunting." With hot sequels to recent smashes "The Bourne Identity" and "Ocean's Eleven" coming out this year, there's nothing turgid about Damon's career at the moment.

    And then there are the actor's more thoughtful and experimental bents - a Terry Gilliam-directed movie about the Brothers Grimm and "Syriana," a film about oil politics from the writer of "Traffic" - on the horizon.

    And Damon insists, convincingly, that he's having great fun. Others aren't sure.

    "Matt is really focused, very very serious and very responsible for his work," notes Franka- Potente-, the German actress who plays amnesiac CIA assassin Jason Bourne's love interest in "Identity" and the new "Bourne Supremacy," which hits theaters Friday. "And he works a lot. It's to an extent sometimes that, when you go out to dinner after work, he will not stop talking about work. He will review the day, he will speak about the day tomorrow. You want to shake him and say, 'C'mon, at least for a half-hour, talk about something else!' "

    "Yeah, I think I do that," Damon admits without apologies. "But I also think, at the risk of making a sweeping generalization, it's kind of an American way of being. At night, if we had a dinner party or something like that, the director or the producer and I were always in a corner going over things, because things can always be improved. Franka would be going, 'Would you guys just stop it? Have a glass of wine!'

    "The reality is, the job I do doesn't feel like a job when I go to work. It really is fun for me."

    The British director of "Supremacy," Paul Greengrass, appreciated his star's workaholism - and ability to have a good time with it.

    "We had a blast; I think that was the No. 1 thing," says Greengrass, a documentary and docudrama veteran ("Bloody Sunday")...

    That sort of maturity seeps into Damon's personal life with a motto that goes something like, don't ask for attention and you won't get much of the bad kind. These days, he keeps his love life low-key and avoids celebrity hot spots, bodyguards and other star trappings. He says that he can go out on the street, to movies and restaurants with a minimum of hassle.

    "I kind of operate under the assumption that it's all going to go away at some point," Matt Damon says with a smile. "I'm OK with that. In the meantime, I'm just trying to do things that are interesting and different each time - and are challenging."

  • From the Chicago Sun-Times:.

    Co-star Joan Allen was beyond impressed with Damon's acting chops.

    "He's not just smart and personable onscreen, but you also see this real vulnerability to him," she says. "Take the way he plays Jason Bourne. I get this sense of a tormented soul in Matt, which many actors would overplay, but he doesn't go that route. It's the subtle way that Matt approaches things that make the audiences care about him," she says.

    Producer Frank Marshall says Damon didn't even have the time that he needed to get in Jason Bourne's funk.

    "Matt was filming 'The Brothers Grimm' while he did 'Bourne Supremacy,'" he says. "He would go from that set in Prague, get on a plane to Moscow and film for us for three days. But the minute he stepped on our set, he was Jason Bourne again. He just inhabited the character."

    "I remember him getting off the plane from Prague and limping down the streets of Moscow for this scene where Jason Bourne is shot in the shoulder. He has this pained look on his face, which is amazing," Marshall says.

7/17/2004
  • Part of Matt's Entertainment Weekly cover story is now online at their website (for those users who have access). Here's a summary:

    Despite having spent the last year filming ''The Brothers Grimm'' with director Terry Gilliam in Prague, then ''Supremacy'' in Berlin, Damon has managed to stay in the American public eye, thanks to manic tabloid coverage of the filming of his other film, the Steven Soderbergh sequel ''Ocean's Twelve,'' in Rome (check out Damon kissing his girlfriend, Miami bartender Luciana Barroso! Watch costars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Damon go Jet Skiing!). The recent attention places Damon far from his comfort zone, but it's surely better than the state of things two years ago, when no one really wanted to see Damon in front of the cameras no matter what the activity entailed. Before ''Bourne,'' ''I hadn't had a movie offer in I don't know how long -- months and months and months,'' remembers the actor. ''My agent would call and say, 'Matty, it didn't pan out this time.'''

    Re Billy Bob Thornton and All the pretty horses

    Thornton, who was hospitalized for a ''viral infection'' shortly after the experience, has only fond feelings for Damon, whom he dragged to Nashville post-filming for a drunken weekend of race-car driving and, well, drunkenness, which culminated with the pair sitting on a roof and singing ''Will the Circle Be Unbroken?'' ''I'd like to get hold of him and direct him in some twisted comedy,'' Thornton says. ''He's got such an innocence about him on the surface, but he's about as innocent as I am.''

    What is up with Damon's taste in roles? While it may be confusing to observers, he shrugs and asserts it's of little concern to him. ''I'd go back and make the same choices,'' he insists. ''When these movies don't work, it's not for lack of trying. You're taking a big swing, and if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out on a big scale.'' ''Stuck on You'' earned only $34 million and tanked with critics, but Damon, whose relentless cheer can sometimes make him sound like a Walt Disney character, says, ''It was the most fun to make. I'd work with the Farrelly brothers again in a second. I'd work with everyone I worked with again.''

    Damon may not be preternaturally gifted at knowing how to always make the most of himself on screen, but he's plenty shrewd about making the most of the fact that this is, once again, his moment. Ask that he confirm his asking price, even off the record, and he shrugs. He's too smart not to know, and too polite to tell you it's none of your business. But he's fully forthcoming about the fact that ''Bourne'' has put him on the ephemeral ''short list'' of guys who get the gigs -- really good gigs -- and this time he's grabbing at them. Although it means another year away from his New York City apartment (which he calls home despite having spent just two nights out of the past year there), he's signed on for the thriller ''Syriana'' with Clooney, which ''Traffic'' screenwriter Stephen Gaghan will direct in Morocco, Geneva, and Washington, D.C., as well as Soderbergh's next drama, ''The Informant.'' After that, there may just be a project with Martin Scorsese. ''I always swore that the thing that would keep me from taking time off would be if Scorsese had a role for me,'' Damon says, as if he can't believe the coincidence. ''But I'm 33 years old. I don't need to snuggle up in bed with my pillow.''

    ''This is the most insecure profession,'' Damon continues. ''Everyone is on shaky ground, I don't care who they are. Look at all the people who were stars 10 and 20 years ago. Not many of them are around. That doesn't mean you can't act. It just depends on what you're in it for. And if you're in it to be a movie star, you're f---ed. Because no matter who you are, that s--- will go away, I guarantee you.'' And Damon, ever the pragmatist, has a backup plan. Of working with Soderbergh he says, ''If one hypothetically wanted to direct, one could hypothetically pick up a lot of things. But I have to write something to direct.'' He and Affleck have been talking about reteaming on a screenplay since Hunting, but ''we couldn't turn down the acting work,'' Damon explains. ''It's really f---ing hard, after years of banging on closed doors, to have them open up in front of you and not go through them. I'm not looking for the black cloud to come,'' he continues. ''I've just accepted that it will.''

  • Extra's clips and story from the premiere is here. New clips from the film are at the official site and yahoo. And Vanessa (thanks) writes that at the end of the interactive game on the official Bourne site there is a new video. The Hollywood Reporter's mixed review of Bourne Supremacy is here. And another test screening review of Brothers Grimm is at Jo Blo.
  • Thanks to Sandi for writing up Access Hollywood's Matt coverage yesterday:

    The interviewer asked him if he knew he and Ben were nominated for an Emmy for their Project Greenlight Series. He said 'Yes, it's very exciting. I can't believe that.' The host asked him if he was nervous being nominated, going against The Fab 5 (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) and he laughed and said 'A little, I mean there's 5 of them. Actually, I met those guys and they're really nice.'

    Then on another segment where people write in their questions for their favorite celebrities, and they answer them... Matt picked up a card that was laying on a BBQ looking thing and laughed and said 'These are some hot fucking questions' Of course they beeped out the f word. Then Matt read the question.

    "This is from Kevin in Chicago. While shooting Ocean's 12 in Rome with Brad Pitt, was his wife Jennifer with him? Did you have a hard time concentrating? She's really beautiful." Then he looked at the camera a little perplexed with a smile, then back at the card again...then he looked straight into the camera and said "Kevin, stay the fuck away from my friend's wife!" They beeped out the f word again, and then he and the host laughed.

  • Sandi also sent in this scan from the latest Us magazine.



  • MTV has a new interview with Matt at their site. And Matt was in last month's (July issue) of Out magazine.

  • Thanks to Jackie for new TV alerts: MTV's Making the movie from 22 July and perhaps Ryan Seacrest on Monday or later in the week.

7/16/2004
  • The Bourne Supremacy premiere in LA was well attended by stars including O12 cast-mates George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Bruce Willis, Scott Cann and others such as Bourne co-stars, Ben, Magic Johnson, Serena Williams and a random selection of TV stars. Look for photos at all the usual sites and watch the entertainment shows Friday for coverage. Included in the photos below are Ben, Lucy, Bruce and daughter Rumer, Franka Potente and director Paul Greengrass.



  • Thanks to the Big Matt Fan for news that Matt is on the cover of the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. A scan of the cover is below, and here are some teaser excerpts.

    The article surveys his career, and though it asks, "What is up with Damon's taste in roles?", it seems to respect his motives and sensible attitude. Notable quotes:

    Matt: "I'd go back and make the same choices. When those movies don't work, it's not for lack of trying. You're taking a big swing, and if doesn't work out, it doesn't work out on a big scale."

    Matt: "I'd work with everyone I worked with again." When that earns him a you-have-got-to-be-kidding look, "I would!"

    Greg Kinnear: "It's a happy accident in his genetic code that doesn't allow him to be be overly self-aware. He's just a really decent, good guy."

    Apparently, there may be a project with Martin Scorsese coming up.

    Matt: "I always swore that the thing that would keep me from taking time off would be if Scorsese had a role for me. But I'm 33 years old. I don't need to snuggle up in bed with my pillow."

    Billy Bob Thornton: "I'd like to get hold of him and direct him in some twisted comedy. He's got such an innocence about him on the surface, but he's about as innocent as I am."

  • A rave review for Bourne Supremacy from columnist Dave Poland is at Movie City News.

  • An interview with Matt is at iesb.net.

  • Project Greenlight won a second Emmy nomination yesterday in the category of Reality Show. Now it just has to beat Queer Eye.
  • Many thanks to Natasha for writing up some recent entertainment show coverage about Project Greenlight. Some of Ben's comments have been abbreviated. The first one is from Access Hollywood.

    Interviewer: Ben, you've been laying a little low lately--Matt, absolutely everywhere...
    B: Yeah, it's nice.

    I: Ben, are you jealous of Matt? (to Matt) Or are you jealous of Ben [getting to lay low]?
    B: I couldn't be happier, myself (they both laugh)

    They talk a bit about Ben in the narration, then Billy brings up "something different for Matt".

    I: Have you read the article in Playboy yet?
    B: Are you nude in the magazine?
    M: (shaking head and smiling) I'm not, no.
    B: Then it's hardly worth looking at, is it?

    Then Project Greenlight is brought up. The series has made money, but the resulting films have not. What kind of pressure are they up against?

    B: The studio's saying plenty of the "we've got to make money", so since we switched to Dimension, this year, from Miramax, we sort of went from the arthouse...(he pauses, looking at Matt, who jumps in)
    M: ...to the outhouse! (they both crack up laughing, then Matty sobers himself up a little and dips his head) No, I'm just kidding.

    Then, they bring in a young correspondent hoping to get her break on the show and ask the boys for advice to aid her in her career advancement.

    B: (to the young lady) If you want to be a real entertainment journalist, you have to be neither a journalist nor particularly entertaining! (swipe) I think you should follow his (Bush) lead, he's blazed quite a trail in this industry, and for me personally, as a man.
    I: Matt, what piece of advice would you give her?
    M: Uh, what piece of advice would I give? I don't know, you look like you would be great at it. (Young lady fawning over Matt)
    I: See, did you hear that?

    Then they give her the "big break" by letting her finish the interview with a few quick questions. She asks how she can get an audition for the film, and while Ben queries her, Matt jumps in with a quip..

    M: You're already fed up with your job at Access Hollywood?

    Quick bit on E! News Live included the three P's: press (project greenlight), politics, and a plug for Matt!

    (Host) Ben and Matt drew quite a crowd at the party held for the new winners of Project Greenlight last night.
    E: What are you hoping to accomplish here tonight?
    B: Well, a couple of things, we got a lot of talented people.
    I: Are you going to the DNC, the Democratic National Convention?
    B: Yeah, I'm going down there, Matt's got to work unfortunately, but... yada yada... so, it should be exciting.
    M: I have no interest in politics, you'll never see me do that. But this guy, right here (claps hand on Ben's shoulder), I would be the first one to...
    B: Yeah, he's nominated ME! (they both start laughing)

    Ben is also campaigning for Matt's upcoming Bourne Supremacy...

    B: It's fantastic, it's really, really a great movie, better than the first one, and I really enjoyed the first one, so..I'm sure it's gonna do real well and (looking directly into the camera) I urge all of America.....if you do anything with your life, to see The Bourne Supremacy! (Matt is grinning and laughing)
    E: Ever sit back and think, "I coulda done that"?
    B: EVERY day.

  • No comment to this no doubt false story from the Irish Examiner:

    Damon curbs wild ways

    Hollywood star Matt Damon has quit drinking alcohol, with the help of his Ocean's Twelve co-star George Clooney.

    After months of wild partying on the European set of the sequel with co-stars Clooney and Brad Pitt - culminating in a huge wrap party - the actor has decided it's time to settle down with new girlfriend Luciana Barraso.

    A source told British newspaper the Daily Star: "Matt just wants to slow down his pace of partying so hard and knows what him and George are like when they are together. He always has such a good time with George - sometimes too much of a good time."

7/15/2004
  • The list of potential attendees for today's Bourne Supremacy premiere in LA now includes most of the Ocean's Twelve cast, according to the latest press release:

    WHAT:
    The world premiere of "THE BOURNE SUPREMACY"

    WHO:
    THE BOURNE SUPREMACY cast members Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Brian Cox, Karl Urban, Gabriel Mann, Joan Allen, Marton Csokas, Tom Gallop, Ethan Sandler, Michelle Monaghan, Karel Roden and Tomas Arana; director Paul Greengrass; and producers Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley and Paul L. Sandberg.

    Plus, celebrity guests Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, Hank Azaria, Peter Berg, Scott Caan, Jennifer Capriati, Don Cheadle, George Clooney, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jamie Foxx, Magic Johnson, Ray Liotta, Joshua Malina, McG, Demi Moore, Brad Pitt, Dennis Rodman, Leelee Sobieski, James Van Der Beek, Serena Williams, Bruce Willis, Tiger Woods and many others.

    In honor of the grand opening of Sunset+Vine, the City of Los Angeles will be represented by such dignitaries as Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, California Congressman (31st District) Xavier Becerra, Chief of Police William J. Bratton, Honorary Major of Hollywood Johnny Grant, 13th District City Councilman Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles Major James K. Hahn and 1st District City Councilman Ed P. Reyes, among others.

    WHERE:
    The Cinerama Dome and ArcLight Cinemas, 6360 Sunset Boulevard

    A Post-Screening Celebration Follows, Marking the Grand Opening of Hollywood's Newest Mixed-Use Development, Sunset+Vine

    WHEN:
    Thursday, July 15, 2004
    5:30 PM Press Call Time
    6:30 PM Celebrity Arrivals
    7:30 PM Screening Begins

  • Columnist Jeffrey Wells at Moviepoopshoot.com writes highly about Bourne Supremacy in his review, and praises Matt:

    I was a pretty big fan of Doug Liman's THE BOURNE IDENTITY, but I'm even more enthused about Paul Greengrass's THE BOURNE SUPREMACY (Universal, July 23), which I saw last week. It's a faster, harder, more adrenalized package with better car chases (the final one in Moscow blows the Mini Cooper chase in Paris all to hell), a more plausible finale than IDENTITY's, and a fuller, more satisfying story...

    Once again, Matt Damon has his Jason Bourne character, an ex-CIA contract assassin stricken with amnesia, honed to a fine point. Damon owns this guy body and soul; he wears him like a second skin. I was thinking during the watching of SUPREMACY how how well he's handled his career over the last couple of years, in contrast to poor Ben Affleck.

  • Filmjerk writes that the final running time for Bourne is 108 minutes.

  • Another interview with Matt from the BBC is below. Text of a story Matt told on Leno is being widely circulated, including here.

    Matt takes a pop at the paps

    Matt Damon has just finished shooting 'Oceans 12' with George Clooney, Brad Pitt etc and says it's been like a big holiday with George playing loads of practical jokes. But, the one thing he has found really hard is being followed everywhere by the press. In fact, the problem's so bad that he joked to us that he toughened up for his new role in the sequel to the thriller, 'The Bourne Identity' by taking on the snappers:

    "People ask me if I trained with anybody in the CIA or anyone in the special forces but actually I trained with the paparazzi. Recently also doing 'Oceans 12' and being in such close proximity to really big stars like George and Brad and Julia and Catherine Zeta Jones the paparazzi thing has been a more of a consideration for me than it normally is."

    "When I first did 'Good Will Hunting' I think the paparazzi started following me for about a week but then realised that they weren't going to get anything that interesting out of me, so they gave up. Doing 'Oceans 12' has been the first sort of revisit I've had to those guys."

  • More of Matt's interview with Playboy is now online at their website, including the following introduction:

    A candid conversation with the Bourne Supremacy star about dating Winona, having panic attacks and what really went on with Ben and J. Lo

    PLAYBOY: You've had several relationships with fellow actors that seemed to matter. Should you have handled your breakup with Minnie Driver, your then-girlfriend and Good Will Hunting co-star, differently? You announced it on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

    DAMON: No, that show aired three weeks after we had broken up, and the relationship lasted less than six months. I said on the show, "We're still friends. I really like her, but I'm single." And she said, "I found out that he broke up with me on The Oprah Winfrey Show." She later retracted that and said, "I knew it was serious only when he said it on The Oprah Winfrey Show." But even if that wasn't true, the damage had been done. Good Will Hunting had come out only a month before, and that was my first experience of getting stung. So the honeymoon of thinking it's all good was relatively short-lived. I wouldn't be in that relationship now.

  • Reports about the Project Greenlight premiere are at Extra and USA Today - the Extra story:

    Ben, Matt... and Brad?

    Matt Damon and Ben Affleck hit the town in Los Angeles Tuesday night, but the Boston homeboys were in a Massachusetts state of mind.

    The pair is excited that their home city of Boston is holding the Democratic convention. "It's a great chance for people to get a chance to visit," Affleck said. "I think the traffic will be a little worse than usual, but it should be a lot of fun and it should be interesting."

    "Extra" caught up with the gentlemen as they toasted season three of their hit TV show, "Project Greenlight." Damon said he looked and felt good. The star is staying busy shooting "Ocean's 12" with George Clooney and Brad Pitt, while also promoting his new flick, "The Bourne Supremacy."

    And Ben's riding high, since recently becoming an uncle after his younger brother Casey had a baby boy. Tuesday night was one of Affleck's first public appearances since that serious health scare last month. "I had bronchitis and they thought I had an infection, so I had to get a spinal tap, " he explained. "And that spinal tap leaked so that was really bad."

    But good health aside, Ben wasn't feeling the usual love from his long-time best friend. Matt revealed his affinity for Brad Pitt on "The Tonight Show," and that didn?t sit too well with Ben. "It gets between our relationship, I won't lie to you," Affleck joked. "It's caused problems. I'm still really upset that [Matt] picked Pitt over me."

  • Clips and interviews for Bourne Supremacy are at Ifilm.

  • An interview with Bourne producer Frank Marshall about the film and the upcoming visit to Boise is at the Idaho Statesman.

7/14/2004
  • Matt and Ben attended on Tuesday night the announcement of the Project Greenlight season 3 winners - photos are from getty and yahoo. ET will have a story and photos on their site here.

  • An extended preview of the Playboy interview is available at People.

    Damon, whose new movie The Bourne Supremacy opens July 23, says that, as a pal of Affleck's, all he was left to do was "support your friend, support the relationship and talk sh-- about the people who are writing things."

    Of his own relationship with interior director Luciana Barroso, Damon says, "I'm very happy. ... Casey Affleck, Ben's brother, is about to have a baby, and I saw how everything changed with my brother (Kyle, 37) when his kids came. I want a family someday (though) the long-distance thing is tough."

    Damon also admits that his first star crush was on Cosby Show star Lisa Bonet ("an absolute knockout") and that he and Affleck both "smoke like freight trains," yet he also claims that neither of them has an addictive personality.

    As for Affleck's stint in rehab for what was said to have been a drinking problem, Damon says, "Ben made a choice to do something that was extremely preemptive. ... To label him (as an addict) is wrong and just easy and judgmental. He's much more complicated."

  • A clip of Matt at the Bourne junket on Friday is available at Eonline. Thanks to Jen. And Matt will be on the Today show 22 July. Thanks to a reader.

  • Bourne producer Frank Marshall has suggested that a third Bourne movie may be made. Thanks to moviehole.net.

  • A likely false story about O12 filming, with some new quotes, from the BBC.

    It seems that the Ocean's 12 cast sure know how to party after stories that they managed to run up a quarter of a million pound bar bill at their end of filming party in Italy. It took place at George Clooney's home over there and he invited absolutely everyone who had anything to do with making the film, including the local priest. Apparently it was film bosses who pulled the plug on the party because they wanted them in a fit state to start the LA leg of the filming.

    However, Matt Damon has been talking about filming the movie and admits working on the film is a big holiday. He says George Clooney is making the cast feel at home by playing his usual practical jokes on the stars of the sequel. But Matt insists the film is shaping up to be a big hit:

    "George goes out of his way to make sure that everyone is having a good time. "It's been really fun, a lot of it I guess has made the papers, and it looks like a giant kind of vacation - and it is, a giant vacation! No, there is actually some work getting done also."

    "The movie is going to be satisfactory and entertaining, like the last one was, but also be stylistically really interesting. I can't imagine people won't get a kick out of it."

  • The yellow band Matt's wearing lately appears to be in support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation and called a Live Strong Yellow Wristband - available for sale at the official website. On the Tonight Show Matt joined other celebs in autographing a jersey belonging to Armstrong which will presumably be auctioned for charity (related photograph at wireimage).

  • Finally, a quick review of Access Hollywood's continuing Matt/Bourne coverage:

    They start out talking about Bennifer and Matt's Playboy interview and then go to Bourne clips. Matt is constantly running in the movie. He says he was embarrassed because he pulled muscles while trying to sprint.

7/13/2004
  • The first excerpt from the upcoming Playboy interview is from the NY Post:

    Beyond help

    Matt Damon says there was nothing he could do to prevent his best buddy, Ben Affleck, from becoming a tabloid punch line with his doomed engagement to J. Lo. "Ben got killed because he was in a high-profile relationship and the press [bleeping] teed off on him," Damon tells Playboy. "It was absolutely destroying his career. He stayed in it because he loved her. The cynical perception was that he was courting the attention, when he was actually embarrassed by the situation. It was one of those weird situations where there was absolutely nothing you could do."

  • A transcript of Matt's appearance on CNN's Live From program is at their website.

  • Matt will be on Letterman on Thursday 22 July with The Hives, so any NY premiere and other NY-based appearances will be around that date.

  • A mention of a political campaign donation by Matt from here:

    The site - www.fundrace.org - has a quick-search feature that allows you to search for campaign donors (for the period running Jan. 1, 2003, to May 31, 2004) by name or by zip code.

    Having some more fun, I came upon the Hollywood troika of Gwyneth Paltrow ($1,500 to Kerry), Ben Affleck ($1,000 to Dennis Kucinich) and Matt Damon ($2,000 to Kucinich)...

  • Here's a summary of Matt's appearance on Leno by a reader:

    Matt is actually on a one hour break from filming Ocean's on the Warner's lot. He brought Don Cheadle and Scott Caan with him, and they are in the green room. Jay said he saw Bourne already and it was a great spy movie.

    They talked about Ocean's first and being in Italy. He told about a joke that Brad pulled on George. Brad wrote a set of instructions for the Italian crew explaining how they should interact with George on the set. He had the whole thing translated into Italian and distributed it as if it were a real memo. It said things like "When you speak to George, you must address him as Mr. Ocean and a bunch of other stuff." And they weren't supposed to talk to George much. It took George several weeks to figure out why none of the crew would speak to him. Finally when he did figure it out, he asked the assistant director if he knew about the joke. The guy just looked at him and said, "please don't harm my children."

    Then Matt talked about being in Boston and taking batting practice. He told Jay that he had to take about a 100 swings before he hit one out. And his hands were all bloody.

    Then he talked about starting out in Boston and how he and Ben went on auditions. He told the story about going to Touchstone, thinking it was for a movie and finding out it was the Mickey Mouse Club. Then he told the story about the first apartment he and Ben and Derek lived in while in LA. They used to get offered crack on the street and would have contests to see who could make it to the corner store and back without being offered crack.

    Then they talked a tiny bit about Bourne, and showed a new clip of Matt and Julia Stiles going down into the train station. Then Matt had to leave to go back to work.

  • And a summary of the first Access Hollywood Bourne road trip story:

    It was a two minute piece and the beginning of the "road trip." It started by showing Matt taking batting practice at Fenway Park where he didn't have much luck knocking anything out of the infield, which he acknowledged.

    Then they moved onto the Boston screening and Lucy was there. The Boston press crowded around and wanted to ask Matt questions, including about where he and Lucy met. He paused for a minute, clearly off guard, made a little face and said he wouldn't answer that question. Then they showed Matt and his Mom taking pics and his mom introducing him for the Q&A. She intro'd him as "the human being behind the character of Jason Bourne."

7/12/2004
  • Two new Bourne Supremacy reviews are at AICN.
  • Thanks to Michelle for the photo of Matt arriving for the Boston screening last week.

  • Thanks to Jackie for new TV alerts for Ebert and Roeper and E!'s behind the scenes look at Bourne Supremacy.

  • Another excerpt of Matt's interview on NPR last week is at their website.

  • The extended edition of Bourne Identity is now available on DVD (but is quite pointless) and the Project Greenlight 2 DVD is also available (far more interesting and value-added).

7/10/2004
  • The first press release about the LA premiere is from prnewswire:

    Premiere to Benefit the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television

    WHAT: The world premiere of "THE BOURNE SUPREMACY"

    WHO: "THE BOURNE SUPREMACY" cast members Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Brian Cox, Karl Urban, Gabriel Mann, Joan Allen, Marton Csokas, Tom Gallop, Ethan Sandler, Michelle Monaghan, Karel Roden and Tomas Arana; director Paul Greengrass; and producers Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley and Paul L. Sandberg.

    Plus, celebrity guests Ben Affleck, Jamie Foxx, Joshua Malina, McG, Demi Moore, James Van Der Beek, Tiger Woods and many others.

    WHERE: The Cinerama Dome and ArcLight Cinemas 6360 Sunset Boulevard A Post-Screening Celebration Follows, Marking the Grand Opening of Hollywood's Newest Mixed-Use Development, Sunset+Vine

    WHEN: Thursday, July 15, 2004 - 5:30 PM Press Call Time, 6:30 PM Celebrity Arrivals, 7:30 PM Screening Begins

  • Shortened transcripts of the entertainment program interviews are on the various websites of ET, Extra, and Access Hollywood, some also with video footage. Here's part of the text from Extra's website:

    Matt Damon is at it again. The superstar is reprising his role as Jason Bourne, a deadly agent in "The Bourne Supremacy," and he let us in on his secret for making it all look so believable.

    "I tried to be in as many of the action sequences as possible because the audiences are so smart now," Damon revealed. "It's kind of a pet peeve of mine that people say they do their own stunts. That really pisses me off. It's like, you're an actor, lay off."

    Damon's other pet peeve is seeing a good man take a beating, like his best friend Ben Affleck did while dating Jennifer Lopez. "That was pretty tough because it preyed on my own sense of fairness," Damon revealed. "There was this misconception that he wanted the attention and he said to me in the middle of it, 'This is the worst thing for my career.' He knew it was bad for him, which was just a testament about how he felt about that relationship."

    Damon says life has been surreal since he set foot in Hollywood and it just might have reached its peak this summer when he spent a month in Europe with "Ocean's 12" cast mates George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

    "I feel guilty half the time," Damon admitted. "I go to work a few days a week and I'm like, 'Are you guys sure I can't do something? Can I carry anything?'"

  • A reader also summarised the interview from E!:

    They started out talking about O12. They asked if it was almost completed. Matt said yes, it was two-thirds to 75% finished. All they had left was to shoot on stages at Warner Brothers for about a month. It was lots of fun on the set. Then they moved on to talk about Bourne. He said to get ready for it he began boxing again. And he went to an ad hoc driving school that he called "things you'd never do to your own car." He almost said no to the sequel because he wasn't sure it could be as good or better than the first. They needed to show him a complete script before he signed on.

  • Part of Matt's interview with Boston radio station Kiss108 FM is at their website, including talk about filming O12 in Italy, playing basketball with George Clooney and the Bourne Supremacy stunts.

  • This Hollywood Reporter article mentions that Matt may attend the Deauville Film Festival in September.

7/09/2004
  • Matt has left Boston, was probably in Washington yesterday and is likely to be in LA over the weekend for the press junket. A final Boston story from the Globe:

    Matt Damon checked out of the Charles Hotel, but not before attending a screening of his new film, "The Bourne Supremacy," at Loews Boston Common to benefit International Physicians For the Prevention of Nuclear War, the charity championed by his mom Nancy Carlsson-Paige. While in his hometown, Damon stopped by Noir at the Charles and had dinner at Brother Jimmy's in the former House of Blues.

  • Part of Matt's discussion on a Boston radio show was reported at Dark Horizons. So what's the second film? Syriana and The Informant?

    Matt Damon called into Boston-area radio station WBCN 104.1 FM and said that all European location photography for "Ocean's Twelve" has finished, and they're heading to LA for soundstage set photography for the next month. The fact that he has two more movies after O12 has put a dampener on plans to co-write a screenplay with Ben Affleck, along with reducing his participation in the next "Project Greenlight" series.



  • Another short Boston-based interview is here, and it includes this answer when asked about the Red Sox game of a few days back:

    "It was great. Johnny Damon came over and talked to one of my nephews for a little while and it was like God was talking to him."

  • And another short interview transcript from NPR includes a link to a 11 minute audio clip/interview which is well worth listening to. From the print interview:

    Damon considers the late Marlon Brando as "the benchmark" for an actor. "I watch his stuff and there's nothing. It's just seamless. It's just a different thing he's doing than anybody else does. That's obviously the goal... to arrive at some kind of place that's as close to that as possible."

  • Two reviews for Bourne Supremacy are at AICN.

  • TV Alert: Interviews with Matt are expected on ET, E! and Extra (talking about O12) Friday. Access Hollywood will have a nightly feature titled "Bourne on the road" starting next Monday. And another alert from Anne about a CNN show named Live from... tomorrow:

    I was just watching CNN and Miles O'Brien said that Matt Damon would be on "Live From..." on Friday. The show runs from 1-3:30 (eastern time). I am not sure exactly when he will be on, but they usually have the entertainment segments in the last half of the show.

7/08/2004
  • Matt and his mother attended the Boston charity screening of Bourne Supremacy on Wednesday night. Here's a report from the Boston Herald. In the photo below from gettyimages.com Matt's pictured with his mother Nancy and former Celtics player M.L. Carr.

    Matt kisses off parking tix via mom
    By Inside Track, Thursday, July 8, 2004

    "Bourne Supremacy" star Matt Damon showed Mom some love last night at the Loews Boston Common by helping raise money for her pet political cause. But the Cambridge homey owed her BIG time - she just ponied up the dough for 13 years' worth of her celebrity son's unpaid parking tickets!

    "I did pay for the tickets and I've already asked him for the money back," Nancy Carlsson-Paige told the Track at the "Bourne Supremacy" benefit screening for the International Physicians Against Nuclear War.

    Matt, who in true son form feigned ignorance of being a parking scofflaw, said after the Track uncovered his license was suspended for ignoring tickets and taxes, he got the call from mom.

    "It was embarrassing," he told Star 93.7's morning team yesterday. "She said, 'What do you mean you have unpaid parking tickets?' So she went down to pay them. I wasn't aware, actually, but it's kind of embarrassing."

    Damon, who came to the screening with galpal Luciana Barroso, described his movie promotion as "taking the spotlight away from me - which isn't bad, actually - and putting it on something a little more important."

    "If you have a voice, you should use it," said Damon, who will be filming "Ocean's Twelve" on the Left Coast and won't be with his peeps at the Democratic National Convention. "In my case, I'd rather speak out than shut up."

    Carlsson-Paige, an education prof at Lesley University, said Matt's been an activist since his elementary school days in Central Square.

    "Matthew started caring about social issues, the things that he saw as a child, at a really young age," she said. In fact, 10-year-old Matt wrote his own lyrics to John Lennon's hit, "Imagine," for his mother's birthday about a world without homelessness. He's got our vote!

  • Another story is from the bostonchannel.com - an excerpt:

    "Action movies normally are like porn movies. You have these really kind of bad scenes with these poorly drawn characters, and then you get a little action, and then you get another bad scene and then you get a little action," said Damon.

  • More photos of Matt at the Red Sox game with Lucy, his nephews and brother Kyle are at wireimage.com.

  • A new Bourne Supremacy poster is here, and new photos are at Latino Review (the photo below shows Matt on set with Julia Stiles and director Paul Greengrass). A chance to win tickets to the Boise event is here.



  • Thanks to Shelley for this note:

    For those in the DC/Richmond, Va Metro Area, Matt Damon will be on Elliott in the Morning Radio Show(DC 101 FM) Thursday July 8th.

  • And Sandi sent in a quick report on the Access Hollywood story which aired yesterday:

    It was clips of Matt talking about the Bourne Supremacy and was only a few minutes long, if that. The segment started with showing Matt in the Red Sox dug out, clapping hands with the players. The announcer started it by saying Matt was in Boston, catching a Red Sox game with his girlfriend Lucy... then they went right into the Bourne thing. They showed mostly clips from the movie. Matt spoke a few times about the movie, citing it had to be believable, and more action packed.

7/07/2004
  • Matt attended a Red Sox game with Lucy in Boston yesterday, and will be present for the premiere screening of Bourne Supremacy in Boston tonight. The photos are from yahoo and these stories are from the Boston Herald and Boston Globe.

    Matt rounds up posse to catch Sox game
    By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa, Wednesday, July 7, 2004

    Hollywood wunderkin Matt Damon, fresh from the Rome set of "Ocean's Twelve," settled in with lady love Luciana Barroso for last night's Red Sox-Oakland A's showdown. Matt, who showed his swingin' stuff at batting practice in the late afternoon, treated a posse of a dozen rels and pals, including nephew Jackson Damon, 7, to the game from Sox owner John Henry's primo seats near the dugout. And why not? Matt's best bud, Ben Affleck, sits there when he's in town!

    However, we hear the Sox Superfan was also interested in the view from under the Budweiser sign in the much-ballyhooed right field roof. Maybe next time.

    Before batting practice - where Matt re-acquainted himself with his childhood Field of Dreams - the ex-Little Leaguer lunched at Sonsie on a roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy and biscuits and chased it with a Diet Coke. Sounds like the Cambridge homey had a hankerin' for some good American grub after pounding pasta with George Clooney and Brad Pitt in Italy for a few weeks! Now, there's a sacrifice fly the Track would loooove to make.

    Anyway, next stop on the Jason Bourne Boston tour is the Loews Boston Common, where he'll host a sold-out screening of "The Bourne Supremacy" tonight for the International Physicians Against Nuclear War. See you there!

    Batter up

    In town to promote his latest film, "The Bourne Supremacy," Matt Damon made a stop yesterday afternoon to take a little batting practice at Fenway Park. Damon, who took part in the celebrity batting competition during the 1999 All-Star Game festivities at Fenway, has been a lifelong Sox fan, albeit a little less publicly than his "Good Will Hunting" buddy Ben Affleck. . . . Earlier in the day, Damon sampled from chef Bill Poirer's summer menu at Sonsie. His lunch included the hearty country-roast chicken with mashed potatoes, buttermilk biscuit, and gravy, washed down with a Diet Coke. Damon told Sonsie GM Steve Coyle, "I'm thrilled to be home."

  • Another baseball-related story is from the Globe.

    Damon a tough act to follow
    By Michael Vega, Globe Staff, July 7, 2004

    Dale Sveum took a swig from his postgame beverage and smiled when he was asked the question the Fenway Park crowd of 35,302 had to be contemplating as it exited after last night's 11-0 rout of the Oakland Athletics.

    Which Damon had the hotter bat: Matt or Johnny?

    "I think Johnny was a little hotter than Matt was," said Sveum, who threw batting practice before the game to the Cambridge-born actor. Sveum then watched from his third base coaches' box during the game as Johnny Damon played the leading man in last night's 17-hit barrage by reaching on five consecutive singles from his leadoff position.

    "I think Matt accomplished his one goal: He got one off the Green Monster," Sveum said. "That made his whole day, so it was a pleasure to be able to throw to him and meet him. It was a lot of fun. But he got one off the Green Monster. He wasn't out there to try and get singles. I don't know if he quite had the power or the swing to really get one over the Monster," Sveum said, with a laugh. "But he was trying his best."

    While Matt Damon blistered his hands in BP trying to hit one out, Johnny Damon simply blistered the ball. With the actor watching from the field-box seats adjacent to the Boston dugout, Johnny Damon took center stage with his 5-for-6 performance. He hit five singles (four up the middle, one to right), marking the fifth time he has matched his career high. It was the second time this season Damon has had five hits, doing it in a 10-3 rout at Baltimore April 7.

    "I had to make the Damon family look good," Johnny said, when asked if he saw the actor at the game. "It's great seeing him. He and Ben [Affleck] are diehard Red Sox fans and to see Matt out here, that's awesome."

  • A story about location shooting for Bourne Supremacy in Russia is here.

7/06/2004
  • Another positive early screening review of The Brothers Grimm is at JoBlo.

  • Stills from Matt's appearance on TRL are at Ben and Matt Online.

  • Ocean's Twelve producer Jerry Weintraub talks about the fun and games on and off the set of the film to an Italian newspaper here. It's mentioned that only one day of filming was planned in Sicily and that the remainder of filming will be in LA and Chicago (again).

7/04/2004
  • Matt will appear on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday 12 July. Thanks to Kelly. He is also scheduled to talk about Bourne Supremacy on next Friday's ET and Access Hollywood.

  • Alessia from Italy has a Matt fansite and it includes photos and stories of her encounters with Matt in Rome - the website is here.

  • A summary of Matt's appearance on MTV's TRL was kindly provided by a reader:

    The show was live in NYC from the studio, but Matt's stuff was taped in Rome. The guy from TRL was named Damien and he flew to Rome. They first did a segment where he walked around Rome (alone) asking the citizens some American movie trivia questions. They were to identify a famous line from a popular American movie. It did not go well! The phrases were: Should we shag now, or shag later? I'm the king of the world! Show me the money! And How do you like them apples? It took quite a few hints before the correct answers came out, if at all.

    Then in the second segment it was Damien and Matt sitting on a stone bench in Rome. M