Episode 23: Matt Damon

the WiFi was good. It can't crap out on that Damon. You know you're the queen of impersonations. He's in a movie, a new movie called Still Water, which is out in theaters on July. Matt Damon, what a dream. We have so many questions for him. Of course, the sports side of things. We have Matt Damon on our podcast. We have Matt freaking Damon. Jimmy Kimmel hates him. We love him. I mean, we have Matt Damon. How about them apples?

You know that, Well, we're going to get all of them out and talk about the things that he has going on in his life. He's so great, But I need you to give me an impersonation of Bill Baker. So he plays this guy Bill Baker in the movie. Everyone please go out and see it when it comes out in theaters. But he plays how what do we calling him a roughneck? What is he called in the movie a roughneck? He works on an oilf neck in Oklahoma, and you're the queen of impersonation, So I need a

Bill Baker. He was. He was great too. He had the goatee, he was jacked up. He walked like he had the plaid top buttoned up to the top with the wranglers. I thought he was adorable. Really how this movie? Um yeah, there's a scene where the girl he becomes close with, the little girl Maya, is locked out of his room. He's like, Yea, you locked out and she's like what, okay, you need your ky And he was talking about he was great. I mean, here's the thing.

This out there are my people. But I can't do entertainment. I mean, yeah, you were good. I actually I thank you. Yeah, I was in on it. I love seeing a movie again, what about you? We talked about this a lot. It was great just seeing a movie. I was telling you. So when I was working full time at Extra we would always have to go I shouldn't say always we would go to these junkets because you know, doing these interviews with actors and actresses, you needed to see the

movie beforehand. Well, on average, you'd go to like two of these things a week for all the interviews that we were doing. I haven't been to a screening in two and a half years. I have never been more excited to go to a screening. And you know, after a while, you're like, oh, got another one of these things. I was the first one there. I like had the theater all to myself. I was like, Okay, pick my seat. I was so jacked up to go into a movie theater.

And because it's him, I mean, the unbelievable Academy Award winner along with a hundred million other awards that he's won. But yeah, it was really great to watch a movie again. So I'm excited to talk to him about that, and not to mention his sports connections. I mean, being you know, from Boston, so well have you met him before. I've done an interview with him before in the junket thing. But again, see, this is why I'm excited to have him on our podcast because we get him for more

than two minutes. You know how it is, because you've been on the other side of those things. When you walk in and it's your seven hundred interview of the day, they're like, just I remember I was doing an interview one time with Alexander scars Guard and Margot Robbie and it was for Tarzan And at this point, like I am like the last one on the list. They are so sick of answering the same questions I went in with my agenda questions I was supposed to ask to

bring back to extra. I sat down. I could see their faces being like yeah, like knowing I was going to ask all the same ship that everyone else was asking, I just handed them the question you do so I did. I handed them the piece of paper and I go, which one of these you guys want to answer? They were like, let's see what you've got, and they were like so into it, and then they started asking each

other questions. I literally didn't ask one question, and it was the cutest interview because they started mocking the whole like what did you do to prepare for this role? And like all those annoying questions that these poor actors get over and over again. So it was awesome to like at I'll switch it up. But that's why I like a podcast format too. It's so much chill, more chill,

good English. But I try to do that a lot, like with our features, right, and and certain guys you can do more of it because you're comfortable you have

a great relationship with them. Like I Rogers always jokes with me about the paper that I have sitting in front of me and I have scribbles all over it, and he sees it and I redo it, and then he always knows there's a question or two in there from my dad, right, So I always preface it by that, and I'm always like, here's one from Clark, and it's like usually one he's not going to like repeat on air, but it's like for me to pass along and tell

to my dad. And I think last year when I saw Brady on a zoom and I did an interview with him, he knows and I have told him stories before about preparation. I've also asked him who does he like, who does he not like? And they know when you're ready to go and or if it's just like the same crap. So it says here, but he sat down. He goes, you're good, and I said yeah, and he goes, did you study? And I was huh, and I started my favorite and it's like I always got scribbles all

over it. Sorry, go ahead, what no tell me you are going to say? Because I don't like having a paper in front of me. The only reason I don't is because then I feel like I'll catch myself looking down and it. Do you even look at your notes during an interview? Because I don't feel like you do, And here's my Matt Damon notes, Like, yeah, I don't look at them. And I also like afterwards always say to Joel, who's our features producer. I'm always like, Joel,

you good? Anything else? But look, I think there's one thing you've got to listen, right, There's one, you know, because there's something could come up and you question them on it and everything like that, and you know you could miss something really important. But yeah, I'm a big notes. I've interesting because we have notes for our Matt Damon interview. This interview could start and none of these questions could

even be asked. To your point about interviewing one oh one, listen to what the person is saying because they were going to take you in another direction and follow them and then obviously if you have to bring it back because the publicists also wants you to ask questions about the movie you're interviewing them, not just what's your favorite color? But yeah, that's interesting how everyone does different prep. Huh. Yeah, I'm excited. I'm excited. What's one of your questions on

your list right there? Well, Jared wants me to ask him about Jason Bourne and if there's going to be any more Jason Bourne because he's dying for them. Um, I don't know. I'm just excited. I have talked to him really really quickly before, you know, when he was

with his family, so I didn't want to bother him. Also, my husband was like freaking out that he was actually in the same building as us, and I was like, get it together, um, And he wanted to go ski with him, and you know, I want to spend the whole day with him, and I was like, please just leave the building. But um no, I'm just excited he I feel like all of us just think we know Matt Damon so much. You and I grew up with him. I feel like he's just one of those guys that

just seems so easy to talk to. I wanted to go, well, you know, not to mention he's one of those people. I mean, it's he's, you know, one of the greatest actors that we've ever seen, for the reason that he is believable in every single role he's in, right, like, no matter what the movie, no matter what the genre of the movie, Like, he's just that person that you boy and in this movie, I'm like, oh, you're Bill Baker, like we're about to interview him, and that is just

it's a testament to being a good actor. I have never have you ever wanted to be? Then that little French accent? I love that little girl in this movie. I have to ask him here, but um, have you ever wanted to do anything involving acting? No, I mean that's not my thing. It's not we're live TV kind of people like react, react to what happens next. I can't imagine having to do the same scene over and over and over again. We don't have the patience for that.

I don't have the patience anymore for us talking because Matt Damon's up next, so you know what, enough with us. We'll be back with more Calm Down podcast. Oh I'm sorry, Matt, Damon's coming up. Oh look at that. Hi. Hi, how are you Matt? I'm good, I'm really good. Good. Thank you for doing this. We appreciate thank you so much. You know. The good thing about all of this, Matt is Aaron and I were talking before you got on here.

It felt so good to watch a movie again, and like going in and actually seeing a screener off Wilsher Boulevard. I've never been happier to go into that screening room. I'm telling you right now, I can't imagine how you feel. Yeah, I mean I got to see this with an audience in France and at the festival. I was like, I got totally overwhelmed. It snuck up on me because I didn't realize. I mean, I knew I missed going to movies,

but I didn't. And it sounds awful. I got choked up in my own movie, but but it was actually it was more that there were people again in the movie theater, like it just felt different. Hell about performance. I felt the same way with and just watching their full disclosure my husband, who is the biggest fan in the world. I was just telling Christ was a scene a lot of them where you're walking with a purpose, and he said out loud, God, I love him. And I was like, I know, but it's just so great

to see on screen again. And you talked about getting choked up. What are you so excited about, Maybe just the same experience, Chris and I had you yourself of people getting back and watching this again. Yeah, I mean, I think it's a good reminder. I think that, you know, after watching things for eighteen months on our televisions at home, like, because I worry about that with my own kids watching like it's a different thing. When you go to a

movie theater. It's it's like you're going to church, right, It's like it's a different it's a different type of experience. The movie starts when it starts, and you have to be there and it doesn't stop. If you need to get up, it keeps going, and so you have to. You're at the behest of the movie a little more than when you're at home. And you know, my kids are just used to totally controlling what they watch, like it'll stop and start whenever they want. They can go

do something, think about something to go play. They can go and make popcorn. They can do anything they want, you know what I mean. It's a very different relationship to what they're taking in than I had when I was their age, and I missed that. I I like that. I like that people pay attention to the work that, you know what I mean, versus uh, you know, being distracted and dealing with a bunch of other stuff, you know,

and watching it on a laptop or a phone. And by the way, that we didn't even need to introduce you, because it's weird being like, hey, this is Matt Damon. It's normally what we say on a Monday, you know, of a podcast. I was just like casual. Um, I would say, we would list all your accolades, but we only have you for twenty minutes. We'll make it quick. But you mentioned your daughter. Um, there was all you doing press and talking about your daughter, saying that she

won't watch your movies. I find this very entertaining. How come I don't know, I mean, she just she's just like no. I think I think if she thinks I might be good in the movie, she doesn't want to watch it. She loves giving me ship basically, and she's really funny, and she like, so any time I bring a movie, she brings up the ones that didn't work and she's like, no, no no, I know you were in this one. And I'm like, you know, I feel like

something like good well hunting. She just flat out won't see. She's just like, no, I'm not interested. What is she interested in? Maybe going to any games with you or you know, taking on your love of sports, because I mean we're two girls that did that because of our dads. We know how much you love Boston. Any interest in that, I'll definitely be able to start dragon your to two things, you know, you know, moving to New York this fall.

I mean, but what she really wants, what she's really into. Actually, all my kids are like, I'll be able to take her to a lot of concerts, you know. Um, you know, she's a huge you know Taylor Swift fan, Harry Styles like that stuff, and and she you know, she she's like loves, you know, playing music in the house. She can play you know, Billie Eilish, she can play all

these songs on the piano. And she's teaching herself guitar and like, you know, my youngest is like writing all this poetry, and she's like, she's like, Dad, I've written a hundred and twenties songs. And then she reads and then about these things that you know, they're there are ten year old's approximation of what an adult song sound like.

You know what I mean, because she's there dealing with concepts that she hasn't even kind of come into contact with in her real life yet because she's just ten. But they're pretty awesome. I want to know what concert you want to go to. I went to a Paul McCartney concert with my dad a couple of years ago at Dodger Stadium. Got full on hammered and I was Ringo showed up. Yes, were you there? No? No, I was on the other side of the world, but it came across my and No, it was my daughter, my

fifteen year old who likes she's into music. She was like, Dad checked this out and we watched the moment when when the remaining beatles. That was amazing. Yeah, that was really cool. Even more so, he walked in front of us and I could hear. I could hear better than my dad and people saying Ringo, ringko, rinko, and I'm like, holy sh it Dad. I think ringoes walking and my dad's like what what he saw him walk right by us. Then he's on this stage and just singing together with

my dad. I mean forever two years is amazing. I bet that's awesome. That's amazing. Yeah, we're looking at what's coming through New York. We're in Brooklyn, so we're looking at Barclay and and and MSG, so like, yeah, there's a bunch coming. I think Harry Styles is playing like around my birthday in October, which my my my daughter is ute. We will be going to that one definitely. Well, Matt,

you're the ultimate girl dad. How much did you draw upon your relationship with your girls for this movie, because obviously, you know Maya, who I just fell in love with. I I wanted to just take her home with me or moved to France, one of the two. But um, how much did that help you in this particular role

as Bill Baker. Well, yeah, that I mean, so the movie is about Yeah, my I've got my daughter who's in jail in the movie, and uh in Marseilles in France, and that's a relationship that you know in the story. I've done all this damage too, I've you know, I was, you know, an alcoholic and an addict and and with an absentee dad and kind of carry all this guilt and aime and feel responsible for for where she finds herself.

And so the movie's about this guy trying to repair that relationship and then kind of falling into this relationship with this little eight year old girl who ends up he kind of has the relationship with her that he couldn't have with his own daughter. And and so yeah, she Lulu was the little girl's name who plays Maya.

And uh. After like the first day of shooting, Tom and I had like a come to Jesus meeting, Like we sat down and we were like, Okay, this kid's like pitching a no hit her, Like don't talk about it, like like how do we make it? We gotta keep it really light and keep it really fun for her,

Like don't like keep everyone away from her. Don't like because you know a lot of times well meaning kind of people around the project and can start giving notes to little kids and they just start confusing them and you know, they end up kind of pulling faces and you know, and it's like, just get everybody away from her, and like let's make this really fun for because we were saying, she's like the the you know, the Meryl

Streep of eight year old. Yeah, but she's she's really incredible and she just naturally just kind of couldn't do it the same way twice, which is which is like a thing. It takes a long time to learn that. Um, but she just intuitively knew that. What is that thing called disclaimer alert? What is it when people are like,

don't tell us the ending? Like close your ears now, I'm going to say that whatever people say when they're watching a Bachelor or some crap like that, spoiler alert, disclaimer alert, Well stick to sports, gal Um, can you I went to Florida, you went to Harvard, We get it? Um, okay, spoiler alert? Can you just go back and get them? Like? I love the ending. I thought it was perfect. We're sitting there, you're talking to your your daughter, you know, back in Oklahoma. Just go get them, go get go

get them. I know. It's what's so brutal about the movie. It's so heartbreaking. And and I said that we shot we shot all the Marseilles stuff first, which was great because that Oklahoma stuff at the end really was kind of full because it had real meaning because we lived through that and it's like we believe when we walked back into the house that that he had chosen for Bill's house by myself with my suitcase and like looked around.

I was like, this is this is so depressing. But you think about that department that opened up and it was all of Marseilles in the Mediterranean, this life that this guy had there, And no, I love the ending because it's like the world's never going to look the same to that guy. You know, she and she and you know his his daughter says, doesn't at all look the same, and he's like, not at all, not at all,

Like it'll you know, I don't hardly recognize it anymore. Yeah, um, I I covered the Big Ten for my college football time. Aaron spent a lot of time in still Water. So before you jumped on, what was the bar that you wanted to ask Matt if he went to? Oh, I can't I'd love to know if Matt Damon went to ask him O Joe's. But I don't know if you can go to any bar anymore like you did back

in the day. But did anyone take you by ask him o Joe's Yeah, sterling hard Joe, the director from Oklahoma who was a friend of Tom's, kind of gave us, you know, took us around still Water a little bit. So we didn't have a lot of time in Stillwater because it was more about it was more about getting out to those oil rigs. But yeah, I got a little tour of still Waters. It's great there. Yeah, you you were out there a lot. Huh, Well, I'm a what about I'm a Ford what what? What's Gundy's line?

Don't come at me. I'm I'm forty right, Coach band Gunny or coach Gundy from man Man. Oh, yes, I spent a ton of time in still Water. Just can you maybe tell us best memory coming from there? For me, it was meeting those roughnecks. It was like going to there, it was like it was just it was such a such a different culture than from where I'm from, you know, but like just a great that they were like this family. I mean, they just could not Kenny Baker, this guy

who helped us. We actually named Bill Baker after him, you know, it's just kind of a nod to him. We gave him the same last name just because we were so grateful to Kenny and but just you know his you know, his whole family. Mean, we literally went had a barbecue like you know, shot shotguns like you know. I mean, it was just I could not have They could not have been more welcoming. It couldn't have been

more fun. And the movie really is what it is because of their health, like it wouldn't be, you know it was. It's such a specific thing to be a rough kneck that we really wanted to get it right and we couldn't have got it right without them. So so that was definitely my best Oklahoma memory. It was funny. We're sitting in we were on in the Collongus in Marseille, which that beautiful area with where we shot that scene, and we rehearsed it once and I said theater and

Tom said, Matt, not theater, theater, theater. I said, I think it's theater. And we called Kenny, like Kenny. He was like, yes, Like Kenny, would you say theater or theater? And he was like theater and I was like like, So that was that We definitely double checked our work because we wanted to get it right. Amazing, Matt, at this point in your career. You can do anything, any role. Why do you pick the roles that you pick? Now, specifically why this one? This one because I wanted to

work with Tom. I just love his movies, and I just loved this story. I thought it was beautiful. And then later in the year, I have another one coming out called The Last Duel that we Ben and I wrote with Nicole Holliff Center, and it was just this incredible story about fourteenth century France and the last sanctioned duel to the death. Between these two nights, one of whom claimed the other raped his wife, and so we

saw it as this kind of story of perspective. So Ben and I wrote the two male perspectives and Nicole wrote the female perspective, and we put him together. I think it's gonna be really good, but it just was interesting. It was like a really I think, I just I just I'm looking to do stuff that I think it's going to be good. Um, you know, it's I kind of just choose things kind of like each one's a one off. You know. It's like if it's kind of

you never know. Like it's like I tell my daughter Isabella, we don't get to see the movie before we make it doesn't stop her from giving me ship when they don't work well, I just hope, hopefully I'll make some more good ones. I think you're doing all right. I think this active thing might work out well for you. What was your first movie, Mystic Pizza? First line in the feature yet first line in the feature? So doesn't that? Okay?

Aaron and I have an affinity for Julia Roberts, Like, I mean, who doesn't you have to Okay, you have to give us just a little bit of Julia Roberts that like we would never have access to that you have. What I mean, is she as wonderful as Yes, yes she is. She is. And look from that, it's funny that I ended up. You know, I worked for like three days on Mystic Pizza when that was her big, one of her first big breaks, and she was like nineteen years old and uh and then she blew up

into the biggest movie star in the world. And then I worked with her again years later on the Oceans movies, and like, she just couldn't be cooler and nicer and she's everything you would want her to be. You know, we love that because coming from sports, when people like ask Aaron like, how is Tom Brady? And he's like, as advertised, it's nice when you get the other side of that. So will you be going to the game

on October three? That's an excellent question. I'm definitely watching it, and I'll be in New York, so I might be able to make it up. That might also be the same night as the Harry Styles come. We got a problem here, rock Paper is going to be watching that game. I mean that is like, I I can't wait, I can't wait. I look, I'm I'm you guys. I'm sure Aaron knows what a fan I am of Tom, Like I love that guy and he is as nice as people.

You can't actually believe how nice that guy is. And and I'm like, I'm all in on on his on his career, like everyone's like, you know, back home and like you're a Bucks fan? What's wrong with you? Bro? But it's like I just loved Tom and I and I you know, if there's a Patriots game on and a Bucks game on, I'm watching the Bucks game until

until Tommy hangs him up. Definitely when the news came out, because we were working the NFC Championship and there was like rumors he's gonna go maybe Tampa, and I was like, shut up, we'll see what happens, and obviously talked to him. But the news comes out he's gone. What's your thought? He is no longer going to be a pat. I already knew he wasn't gonna be Yeah, because he talked to him. I didn't know what say. Yeah, I didn't know. I didn't know where he was going to go, and

he didn't know where he was gonna go. Yeah, I think for I mean, that was the sense I got. I mean, Ben talked to him around that time. I didn't even immediately called me, you know, downloaded, like what what was up? But uh, but yeah, I mean, you know, look, I mean it's like he's you know, I hope he plays till he's fifty, but but he has every I'm

glad he kind of took control of his destiny. And I'm glad that they've taken such good care of him down there, like that seems amazing, Like the fact that they got all their starters back like that that team, you know, and that defense is young and flies around that good so good and uh and now they're all know like they already all won a Super Bowl. Now it's all like, all right, where are we gonna do this year? I mean, I can't wait. Man, it's gonna be It's gonna be a lot of fun. Look out

your window. Devin White's probably on a horse out there in Montana. As we know. I will say spoil alert and I will use it. Right. Uh, that arm looks great. I may or may not have sat in on a few throwing sessions. And it's just like, I love him because I know, Matt, you're fifty, I'm forty three. He just makes it look so damn good. And when you guys talked about Julia Roberts, I was like I always say to people, Tom is so fresh, he smells fresh. Who's all better? Tom or Julia Roberts? I need a

great question, Aaron, that's an some question. Those are two of the best smelling people. But yeah, to your point, like the idea that people thought this dude was gonna fall off a cliff right right? What arm are you looking at if you think there's been any fall? People? You talk about his production. Production doesn't always have to do with the quarterback. It has to do with a lot of other things. Look at the velocity on the ball. It's all They're like, you know, I don't know, I

mean it. You know, if he's falling off a cliff, it ain't. It ain't yet. You know when I saw that velocity on that arm going into the second half of that Packers game, you know what I mean? Um, Scottyller, do you get to watch the Red Sox in Australia at all? Like? What time or they those games on? No? I haven't seen the Red Sox this year. I know they're good. I'm excited to re engage. I was talking

to Bill Simmons about this. I we had a little bit of a separation, Like it wasn't it's not a divorce. We can't do what. We're married to the Red Sox forever. But with the Mookie thing, like I definitely, I definitely moved into a though for a little while. Yeah, it was conscience uncoupling or something right. And some time I know, I know we're going to be back together, and I know it's the marriage that I want. But I love you mad to bring it back because then we gotta

let you go. But Tom may have seven rings, which one is his favorite? We will ask him when he's all said and done, because he's living next for he always said, the next one, the next one, Right, But do you have do you have a favorite movie that you've done? I mean, I know that there's so many to choose from, but is there one that just has

your heart? Well? I mean, good one thing will always be a special one because it it changed everything for both of us, you know, and and I don't think there's one movie that could ever do that again, Like you know said that time in our lives, and you know, to go from like watching you know, the dude was living on my couch when we sold that screenplay, you know what I mean. Like, so it's a real to go from that to kind of, um, you know, being

able to work and do this job. I mean we've both been working consistently for like twenty five years now, so that so that one will always be and we're proud of it. We're proud, you know, um of the movie still so um one of these days I'm gonna get my kid to watch it. Close my mind. Well, you can watch still Water July along with everyone else. We appreciate the time. Matt. Thank you, Thank you so much. Thank you guys appreciate it. Calm Down with Aaron and

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