Matt Damon worked with talented director Ridley Scott for the historical action-drama film The Last Duel. The movie featured the Good Will Hunting star, along with Jodie Comer and Adam Driver in the lead roles. The film story was taken from a screenplay by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. It was based on the 2004 book The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager.
Damon revealed in an interview about the fast-paced method of working of the director Ridley Scott. He also gave heads up to his co-star Jodie Comer before the shoot started.
Matt Damon revealed his long work hours in Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel
The popular action star Matt Damon united with Ridley Scott for the second time in The Last Duel. They had earlier worked together on the superhit film The Martian, released in 2015. The actor shared that the latter was far more intense than the first one, but he was ready to put in the hard work as he was aware of Scott’s work style.
Damon talked at a press conference about his film The Last Duel. The actor and screenwriter revealed that Scott didn’t even give him some spare time to go to his trailer.
Damon shared,
“Partly, the four cameras at a time, the amount of momentum that you get, all the energy is just right on the floor. You can have your agent negotiate for a trailer, but you’re never going to go there except to put your clothes on in the morning because you ain’t going back. It’s just all happening, and it’s really exciting. I just love that.”
The Last Duel is based on the medieval duel between Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver). As per the story, De Carrouges challenges Le Gris to a duel after his wife, Lady Marguerite (Jodie Comer) accuses Le Gris of forcing his way with her.
Matt Damon warned co-star Jodie Comer about intense work
The Last Duel was Jodie Comer’s first film with Scott, and she shared that she was surprised that the director was exactly as described by Damon. She shared,
“When I met Matt early on, Matt was like, ‘you should know, he works at a pace. He has four or five cameras rolling. It’s fast,’” Comer said. “He gave me a little heads up, and then I got to set, and I was like oh, no kidding. I’ve never worked like this before. It was just really fascinating to see how he makes his decisions. His attention to detail, whether it be through the characters in the story or the locations and the set design. He doesn’t miss a trick. The film has a lot of heart, but it’s a spectacle, and it has the fighting and the duels. I think it’s what he’s so great at.”
The Last Duel was released in 2021 and is available for streaming on Apple TV.
Source-Showbiz Cheat Sheet
