Matt Damon’s Best Hollywood Stories | The Bill Simmons Podcast

In November 2019 and July 2021, Matt Damon joined ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast’ to discuss some of his favorite Hollywood stories, including a dinner with Tom Cruise, talking with Martin Scorsese while making ‘The Departed,’ learning about the making of ‘The Shining’ from Stanley Kubrick’s production designer, and visiting the set of David Fincher’s ‘Gone Girl.’
You can check out more of 'The Bill Simmons Podcast' archives at: billsimmonsinterviews.thering...
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[@Dr.HouseMD]

I worked for Fincher and this is spot on. On House of Cards he would point out things in the corner of the shot that seemed insignificant but really ruined the take for him. “Is that coffee cup empty?” *Props: “Yeah.” Fincher: “no shit. Fill every cup halfway with something.” No empty bags. No empty boxes that were to be carried. If you had a case and had to carry it-it better have contents or he’d stop the scene and make props add something.

[@brandoncaridi5229]

Damon seems like one of the easiest guys to talk to while also knowing everyone while also geeking out over movies.

[@mitchellrush3159]

S

[@othervoices76]

Matt Damon has a Morrison Hotel photo shoot In the background, definitely gets points for that.

[@Hananotaka]

There’s a 2-second shot of Tatsuya Nakadai, then a young unknown actor, walking in front the camera in Seven Samurai. Akira Kurosawa saw the first take, called cut, and then spent half a day coaching Nakadai on how a samurai walks before he did the scene again. All for a 2 second shot.

[@aidzearceo9768]

There should be a series with all kinds of stories about Cruise told by celebrities.

[@longlivedemocracy756]

I’d definitely watch it.

[@ruselia7037]

@@longlivedemocracy756 there is! lmao there's a podcast called 'meeting tom cruise' and its great

[@baddi25]

Fincher is the modern day Kubrick. Has that genius level.

[@rigsby1454]

What I like about Bill is he just doesn't interrupt. He lets the stories be told

[@jameswright3410]

Brian Cox referenced Fincher's focus in a roundtable recently, and mentioned that a lot of actors will get to take 8,9,10 and realize that Fincher hasn't even gotten to them (and their performance) yet.

[@englandsensation]

Do you have the link of that roundtable?

[@longlivedemocracy756]

It’s amazing he has finished a single movie.

[@sadev101]

can listen to matt for hours

[@paulbismuth10]

He already told the Cruise story but with better comedy timing, anyway what a glimpse of Cruise's mindset and talent.

[@Crazyjedi2]

I want to hear the stories Matt told Bill off camera. You know these aren't his best stories.

[@diogocosta1305]

Right??? And these were fantastic, so imagine the off camera ones

[@user-lb7ef2qi9m]

They involve Harvey

[@chrisszyyy]

we want more Fincher stories

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

Fincher's not candid when it comes to saying stories on a director's commentary.

[@paulburket]

Artistry, obsession, is so.. wa.. beautiful haha

[@badger297]

Yo Matt Damon is a great story teller

[@bigtip8371]

And that translates into the movies he makes...

[@Bigsilk1221]

I want to hear Boston stories from Departed or GoodWill!!!!!

[@samanthab1923]

He told a good story @ Nicholson. That scene where he shoots the woman w/Ray Winstone & says “She fell funny” was adlibbed

[@BostonsF1nest]

The full interviews are up on Spotify. He does 3 with Damon and 1 with Affleck. He’s got the best guests

[@GotFadedJapanpodcast]

Great interview, love this!

[@nakedneighborband]

Love the Jim Morrison picture in Matt’s house

[@scottmactavish9716]

"The King of Comedy" is one of those movies where you have to be careful who you reccommend it to.

[@mikemontgomery5755]

Great info 👍

[@jamesCam69]

Anyone else realize how much Matt Damon resembles Ray Liotta?

[@chasecarter3302]

The bottom of Bill's head is larger than the top lol love you Bill, big fan. Good job by you

[@JoeMahan]

Great stories and Matt Damon was fantastic in Air.

[@darthmarticusLFC]

Damon in a Fincher movie would be cool

[@gmar7836]

Fincher is a bastard to work with

[@TheCultOfKubrick]

It’s true about seeing things and not being able to not see them every time the shot is done. I Gaffed a few years of tv and all I saw was the lighting mistakes that very few other people saw…

[@beyondthelens9612]

The king of comedy is one of the best films of all time. It's really crazy it was called the worst of that year lol.

[@gittes98]

actually, The King of comedy was called the biggest flop of the year, not the worst. Great movie, even moreso now

[@msp5138]

It was a terrible movie and Jerry Lewis was a complete A-hole...

[@brothajohn]

So apparently I watch all movies the way David Fincher watches movies.

[@BaronKilaton]

I know fincher does previsualization in the computer for some of his work

[@lifeofmachine4641]

Sometimes people ask me why they should sit around all day and watch Matt Damon tell his Hollywood stories on talk shows. I say: "Why? Why?? How about because this is the most important thing to ever happen in the history of the world?!"

[@CarbinKid]

Damon's the man...

[@Endlesswinterrr]

Oh and I’m sure he’d think the same about you 😂

[@CarbinKid]

@@Endlesswinterrr He definitely would...I get mad bitches.

[@Endlesswinterrr]

@@CarbinKid the early 90s called it would like its expression back

[@CarbinKid]

@@Endlesswinterrr I'm from NY...We still speak like that amongst peers. As I now see you're a hall monitor at heart. Take Care.

[@BabylonGateLA]

Jimmy Kimmel is the man

[@flyovermars8604]

Kubrick story is the best

[@clintgirdler38]

Hey Bill. This is my second video of yours that I am watching. Got to thinking. Famous people have great stories about other famous people. Have you ever thought of going out into the street and ask random people if THEY have stories about famous people (good, bad or otherwise). They might have some great stories about interactions they have had and brushes with fame. It could just become a thing. Not to get the random person attention, but to get feedback in pure vox pop form. It could be funny or it could be detrimental, and I guess you would have to make that call. Anyway, love your stuff so far. Cheers from Australia.

[@Nautilus1972]

My friend's family had a shop on Sunset. They used to have to move Tommy on from the car park.

[@metzro45]

Am I the only one who wants to skip across a Fincher set now?

[@brianegendorf2023]

I am not the "he can't unsee what he sees" guy most of the time.. But when it does happen, its really bad. It feels like the entire world has been drained of color and momentum until you figure out how to get around it.

[@stianw.danielsen2943]

Better sound quality next time guys😁

[@pushkaltripathi3937]

Is that the portrait of Jim Morrison behind Matt Damon?

[@samanthab1923]

Stallone & Gabe Kaplan

[@lynngiancotti5462]

It’s The Doors! I noticed the picture as well.

[@othervoices76]

Morrison Hotel photo shoot

[@scottbarkley496]

TOM CRUISE = LEGEND

[@BradPham]

You’re correct. The year was 1985.

[@braziinc6960]

He was, right up to the point when he force married force impregnated and held Katie Holmes captive …. It’s called true colors folks. Wake the fuck up

[@notgivennotgiven7776]

Matt Damon

[@firuBR]

Those were the best stories? Wow

[@markymark7711]

Hey Marky Mark, Bobby Brown is not offended. Despite what Vera from BBN and Poelher from the Mall say, Rindge and Latin is where all the cool kids hung out. Definitely, not Newton North and South with Székely, Krasinski and Novak. Right Affleck?

[@agustinduenas5902]

I wouldn't call what Fincher did in that scene for Gone Girl genius. It more like easily distracted by things that don't matter.

[@michaelalegria3480]

Heard story on Conan

[@nikolatesla5553]

Listening to him talk about Fincher can't help me think about Steven Spielberg. I don't want to say Spielberg is the opposite of Fincher. But almost. Damon has this great story about working with Spielberg on Saving Private Ryan. Damon wasn't happy with his performance in a particular shot. Spielberg said to him you might be right but basically it wasn't worth the time to make the shof a tiny bit better. That he would rather move on and make a great movie. Spielberg understands that every minute working on a film costs money. Especially when they are shooting. Kubrick is a great artist. Visually I don’t think anyone is better. But the reality is Kubrick made a lot of boring movies.

[@nikolatesla5553]

@@jon8004 Really? Watch the boring three hour snoozefest which is 2001 Space Odyssey. I saw it when it debuted. Half the movie theater walked out. The critics that reviewed it at that time roasted it. Said it was boring as hell. No question it was groundbreaking with spectacular shots but so what? Barry Lynden was boring. How does a director make a movie about sex boring? Ask Kubrick since he definitely accomplished it in with Eyes Wide Shut. Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket weren't boring, just disturbing. I have to go back to Dr Strangelove for a movie he made that was entertaining. Paths of Glory and Spartacus were pretty good.

[@stephen3762]

@@nikolatesla5553 Maybe you're just a fast and furious type movie fan.

[@jasonmoore5824]

@@nikolatesla5553 eyes wide shut could have been so much better. All the "embrace the artist" and "he's an artist at heart" and other such shit can fly a kite. He took a movie with a ton of hot people, sex, a great story concept, the potential for drama and potential for suspense...and turned it into a drudgefest. Seriously. When that's on cable or HBO or showtime and you flip it on, do you say "no way can i turn this off until it's over", or find the way to flip to the next thing as fast as humanly possible? The latter. 2 hrs and 40 minutes....for that? C'mon.

[@vb8428]

There are some films like that one, Payne's, Ridley's and Nolan's where I would've liked them to push Matt Damon to do more takes until he did it right in certain scenes. He likes playing it too subtle at times.

[@tiburc10]

@@jon8004 Well if you go look for reasons to like a movie, youll find reasons to like every fucking movie and youll never find a bad movie because no matter how bad a movie is, there will always be someone that will find something in that movie that it makes it good for them. You dont like Kubrick movies. If you did, you would have liked them the first time you watched. You just "learned" how to like those movies to look like a smartass cinephile. Anyone can like or dislike a movie no matter who made it. 2001 has amazing visuals and a very intrigung story, but the movie is BORING as fuck.

[@lavkmr1]

Are the kids well fed Matt ?

[@LynnHarrod]

These stories are meant to fill us with admiration, like these men are geniuses, but they're kinda hard to swallow. Tom Cruise fires people in charge of his safety if they advise him against something he wants to do. Not sure if that's something to admire. The only reason he's being called brilliant for that is because no one has died (yet) from his decision to keep firing people until he gets to do his stunt. Normally, you listen to the experts in charge of stunt safety, you don't fire them and hire someone who will bend to your will. Kubrick is being praised here for his technical proficiency with lights and sets, which is fine, but all I keep thinking about is how is absolutely destroyed Shelley Duval. He utterly ruined her for life for the sake of an authentic performance of terror and madness. Fincher is being called a genius here for obsessing over how a background actor's walk looked awkward when in fact the reason is because the actor wasn't given anything to do other than walk across camera. Fincher and/or his 1st A.D. should have given the BG actor some kind of prop to hold or some kind of action or motivation, etc. It's not genius to realize this. It's basic film school stuff. If an actor has no motivation, even a BG actor, they may look awkward or unnatural on screen. Also, Fincher is known to have a high take ratio. Again, I'm not sure that's something to admire.

[@Timthethespian89]

I would argue that it’s the BG actors job to come up with something @lynn, not Fincher or the AD

[@LynnHarrod]

​@@Timthethespian89 An actor can come up with his own thing but only after getting some kind of direction first. He can't just make it up because even the simplest little action can mess up a scene. The 1st A.D. follows the director's lead, so he/she would be able to give the BG actor some kind of nudge. If neither the director nor A.D. seemingly doesn't care what the BG actors do, that's almost always a bad thing, as evident from Fincher's reaction.

[@thelastshogun3913]

@@Timthethespian89 As someone who got his start as an extra and who has worked in film production for more than two decades, I back Lynn's assessment and can safely say that the activities of the background artists are 100% the AD's responsibility. It's very rare that the director tells them what to do unless he or she is really unhappy with something they're doing, as was the case with Fincher. In all other cases, the AD ensures that everyone has something to do, monitors how and when they cross camera, etc.

[@edgonzalez3820]

Not to mention Kubrick literally destroyed Tom and Nicole's marriage during the shooting of Eye's Wide Shut. Not that I think that marriage would have survived long term anyways but he deliberately killed it to make a movie. Not only a perfectionist filmmaker but his actors were nothing more than pawns that he would psychologically destroy for art.

[@welles28]

@@edgonzalez3820 I would agree that Kubrick has a well documented reputation for being OCD and generally difficult and demanding, but if either you or your marriage are capable of being "destroyed" by a film director, then you weren't on very firm ground to begin with...

[@joliecide]

Any Weinstein stories there Matty?

[@benchamberlain5985]

Bill get your butt back to work, we need you

[@munch314]

Fincher a poor man's Kubrick

[@marcdaniels9079]

I guess you think that’s pretty clever eh ? It’s not.

[@matthewlee8725]

3:45 he didn't spend HOURS setting the lights 4:00 he didn't look at it for 5 MINUTES Hollywood actors don't half exaggerate how long or how many times something takes to do when making a movie. I genuinely don't know if they actually believe their own bullshit or not.

[@brad7932]

"How do you have Shining stories? You weren't in the Shining." Would have to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

[@Steve-zs2cl]

He's speaking as a fan of film

[@mirr1984]

Thats not really genius to have attention to detail, its closer to OCD.

[@lilchaos4792]

All that perfectionism and still hasn't won Best Director LOL. Fincher needs to relax, learn a thing or two from Clin Eastwood who shoots usually 1 or 2 takes. That's where the natural performances come in. He shoots films like a commercial director, which given his background doesn't surprise me.

[@marcdaniels9079]

Exactly- I am sure I have also heard a story on CE; he calls cut print and is ready to move to the next set-up and the lead actor says oh you know I think I’d like to try it again like this… to which CE replies; oh so want to waste everybody’s time to get a scene that is the same…. Something like this anyway.

[@jackbauer4186]

The Kubrick story went so far over Simmons' head, it should have been in a crane.

[@Chris-zo4vu]

So Tom Cruise fired a guy because that person was trying to do their job. What a bell-end

[@davecooke7868]

Who gives a hoot

[@magikindian]

When you got Kubrick money, anything is possible. These actors are so easily impressed or they over exaggerate the evil cave they call a career

[@Jonmad17]

It's time, not money. Kubrick's films weren't the highest budget of their respective eras.

[@balisaani]

Horrible - unprofessional - sound. Tapped out after a minute.

[@bacardibum]

i thought matt was gonna say tom cruise finally came out as gay. these stories suck

[@mikebuxton8472]

Matt Damon is literally a social justice warrior clout chaser whatever gets him the most clicks and the most movie ticket purchases he's on board for whatever is most popular that is called a fair weather fan or a bandwagon jumper

[@Endlesswinterrr]

These segments with actors are so bad. They are literally the least interesting people on earth

[@doktarr]

It's almost like... and hear me out on this... you shouldn't click on it if it's not interesting to you

[@Endlesswinterrr]

@@doktarr wow seriously intelligent comment. Blew my mind. You must be like a professor or doctor with that monster intellect

[@colemyer9020]

DER DER YOU SMELL BAD

[@AkashSingh-xx6eo]

Calls people appearing in video least interesting but cares enough to make the 1st comment on the video .

[@Endlesswinterrr]

@@AkashSingh-xx6eo that makes absolutely no sense. Please go back to the village school you went to and tell them you need another course in basic logic

[@winkstar9265]

Dinner with another human how intriguing

[@markspencer171]

terrible audio.