Matt DamonandBen Affleckspent nearly 25 years hunting.
Not for goodwill, but for a project that would reteam them as writers.
Hollywood, however, had other plans for them.
Matt Damon, Nicole Holofcener, and Ben Affleck.Sami Drasin for EW
Their return to writing together would have to wait…and wait.
Why the long gap?
BEN AFFLECK:We also had nothing else to do.
Adam Driver and Matt Damon in ‘The Last Duel.'.Patrick Redmond/20th Century Studios
DAMON:We had no deadline; it’s not like anyone was waiting for it.
We’d write that scene and then we crammed it all together into something that looked like a screenplay.
Both of us thought it would be so consuming to write together again, we just didn’t bother.
Jodie Comer in ‘The Last Duel.'.Patrick Redmond/20th Century Studios
NICOLE HOLOFCENER:It’s not always like that.
DAMON:We didn’t realize.
We thought that is what our process would be.
And we actually outlined it this time.
We’ve often talked about movies and collaborated in that way.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Why did you decide to bring Nicole on board?
HOLOFCENER:It took a minute.
At first, I thought it was a joke.
I got the email, “Do you want to write this swordfight movie with us?”
I thought that they were kidding, or that I couldn’t do it.
It was so far away from the stuff I write.
AFFLECK:It’s got to be better than this!
HOLOFCENER:It was like, “Okay if they’re winging it, I can wing it.”
[Laughs]
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How was this experience of writing together different?
It was inspired by DIY filmmakers like Spike Lee.
This was not an effort to further our acting careers since we cast ourselves as ultimately villainous people.
DAMON:InThe Last Duel,you mean.
HOLOFCENER:I was going to say you end up being a really good guy.
AFFLECK:What do you mean, end up?
I start out a nice guy inGood Will Hunting.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This is based on a novel told by one narrator.
What made you decide to open it up and have three distinct perspectives?
In a series of emails, we broke out the structure about this idea of perspective.
But he ended up not being able to do it.
We talked about it in the way thatUnforgivenis an anti-Western Western, making this an anti-chivalry chivalry movie.
HOLOFCENER:I’m kidding.
DAMON:No, it was.
The backstory to that is I didn’t know Nicole, I just really admired her.
But Ben knew her and they were friendly.
When we asked if she’d do it, Ben unbeknownst to me sent these pages.
AFFLECK:I said, “Matt wrote this, it’s dogs—.”
And I’m like, “You did what?!
like don’t tell me you sent Nicole Holofcener that s–t we wrote.”
AFFLECK:“They clearly need help.”
HOLOFCENER:We all helped each other along the way.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Nicole, how did the writing process work?
HOLOFCENER:They sent me two pieces they had written together.
Because I had other projects going on.
AFFLECK:That’s called the bait and switch.
DAMON:We were like, “You’ll be done so quickly.”
I would send my scenes to them to see to it I was on the right track.
AFFLECK:It did start off as, “Okay, we’re each responsible for these things.”
It really did feel like these separate realities that all became part of one piece.
Once we all individually wrote, we started sharing stuff and giving one another feedback and refining it.
AFFLECK:The actors gave us a lot of good feedback and had really interesting points of view.
Jodie and Adam were really helpful.
DAMON:You fall in love with them as a writer because you’re so grateful.
AFFLECK:The hardest two parts to play were Jodie’s, principally, and Adam’s.
Then here show up these two actors who just make it work.
They’re definitely a part of the process too.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Matt has comparedThe Last Duelto Akira Kurosawa’sRashomon.
Was that an influence while you were writing it?
AFFLECK:No,Rashomonis very different.
Reading this book was like striking gold.
This is a spectacular hero, overcoming insurmountable odds at great expense to herself, and it’strue.
The easy stuff is what’s from history; the hard stuff is what you have to make up.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You’ve all mostly worked in contemporary-set films.
What was it like writing a period piece?
HOLOFCENER:I remember being very surprised walking on to the sets.
I’d seen pictures.
I’d done research.
I knew in my head what it looked like.
That did surprise me.
We leaned heavily on that.
AFFLECK:Because we knew Ridley was extraordinary at it.
He deserves a massive amount of credit for creating that.
He brought up, what was the Peter O’Toole movie?
DAMON:The Lion in Winter.
DAMON:We also talked a lot when we wrote about it being set in winter.
You are living close to the earth.
They weren’t insulated from nature as much as we are today.
AFFLECK:Because it would kill people.
If winter was too cold, a lot more people would die.
Now that’s still the case in some places where there’s extreme poverty.
Who made the creative decision to not have you all speaking in French or British accents?
AFFLECK:Tim Monich really deserves credit for that.
He’s just the best dialect coach.
But also one which is accessible to contemporary audiences.
DAMON:Which is what we asked him for.
We said there needs to be an otherness about it that doesn’t feel modern and American.
Tim really designed the sound for everybody.
AFFLECK:There is a kind of American notion that in the past we all spoke with British accents.
It’s likeGame of Thronesthey all have British accents.
DAMON:The real goal is you don’t want the audience to be taken out of the movie.
You want the accents to disappear so it’s not something you’re thinking about.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Ben, originally you were going to play Le Gris, Adam Driver’s character.
Why did you decide to take the step back?
Were you looking for places to make that resonate with a modern audience?
If you’re trying to send a message, the audience feels it.
I don’t think we feel comfortable saying this movie is important because of what’s happening today.
AFFLECK:The most important thing was: This is her story and this is the truth.
There’s no equivocation; there’s no both sides.
What it is is an examination of the way the culture reinforced this misogyny, this patriarchy.
It was more and more evident how many vestigial aspects of that remain in society today.
It wasn’t necessarily our job to indicate that.
DAMON:The first two stories you hear are the male stories and they’re discordant.
Isn’t that interesting to look at it as how we’ve all become acculturated to watch movies?
Yet there can only be one truth.
Reconciling those things was interesting to us.
Hopefully, it’s a story that is really moving.
The story of Marguerite de Carrouges is phenomenal.
DAMON:And there are lots of sword fights.
HOLOFCENER:And blood and stuff.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Would you all collaborate again?
AFFLECK:This whole thing was actually an effort to get Nicole to cast me in a movie.
And that’s failed, so I don’t know what I have to do.
HOLOFCENER:The day is young.
