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“Maybe Bourne will have to save the world from Trump one day!” – Interview with Matt Damon
He is considered one of Hollywood’s most bankable actors. But Matt Damon isn’t just about making money; he’s also good for cinema as an art form. Be it with “Good Will Hunting”, for which he and his mate Ben Affleck won the Oscar as screenwriters. Whether as the charming con artist in “The Talented Mr. Ripley”, as the steadfast “Private Ryan”, or in Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed”. Alongside the “Ocean’s Eleven” adventures, the Harvard graduate also became a fan favourite as agent Jason Bourne. Now comes the fourth instalment with Matt Damon as the amnesiac agent. As is tradition, some scenes were filmed in Berlin.
Mr Damon, once again you’ve done Berlin the honour of featuring it on film. How long did you spend shooting “Jason Bourne” in Berlin this time?
Damon: Unfortunately this time, it wasn’t very long – we filmed in Berlin for just about a week. But I love Berlin; for the second “Jason Bourne” film, I lived here for almost half a year. We also spent quite some time here filming “Monuments Men”, and when we presented that at the Berlinale, I was back in the city again.
What do you like about Berlin?
Damon: Berlin is a city that simply has everything. In the second film, the city doubled perfectly for Moscow – naturally all the Berliners laughed about that, as they recognised the locations, but elsewhere, no one noticed. For the current “Jason Bourne”, Berlin was a fitting backdrop because of its large hacker scene.
“Bourne” once again delivers action in abundance – do you find it physically harder these days?
Damon: Definitely! I was 29 when we made the first “Bourne” film, now I’m 45 – everything’s tougher. (Laughs).
What motivated you to do this fourth instalment?
Damon: Director Paul Greengrass said: If we’re going to bring this character back, the audience has to see in the very first shot just how much you’ve suffered over these last ten years. We want to give it everything for this film – that’s what we owe the audience. That exact standard was my motivation. I trained in the gym twice a day for it. Although I’m not really the muscular type. I don’t need that – I’m very comfortable in my own skin.
Was there never any consideration to retire Bourne?
Damon: Bourne was never put on ice, we were just sceptical whether there should be another sequel. But then more and more people kept approaching us, saying they wanted another instalment. That sort of reaction isn’t common and it gives you a wonderful feeling. I’ve certainly made enough films that no one wanted to watch.
In the meantime there was “The Bourne Legacy”, a film without you and without the agent character. How did that come about?
Damon: The studio had a contract with the Robert Ludlum estate, the creator of “Bourne”, and had to release a film in 2012. They asked us if we wanted to do it, but we didn’t have a story ready at the time. So this franchise offshoot was made, just like “X-Men” and “Wolverine”.
For you, is Bourne the better Bond, because he deals with more politically relevant issues?
Damon: We always wanted “Bourne” to be up to date. The first installments were set during Bush’s presidency, all about the fight against terrorism. Now we’re dealing with a completely new world. The film opens on the Greek border, where so many refugees are passing through. There’s an action scene right in the middle of a protest in Athens. And above all, it’s about privacy versus security. That really is the key issue of our times.
How realistic do you find the sophisticated surveillance methods in “Jason Bourne”?
Damon: I recently read a deeply unsettling article in the “New York Times”. For an experiment, two hackers investigated the life of a grandmother from Oregon. It was incredible what they managed to find out. Even more shocking was the fact that the hackers discovered they weren’t the first ones to snoop into the life of this harmless elderly lady. It’s alarming to see what’s possible these days.
Does society react too lethargically to this development?
Damon: This technology is evolving so rapidly that our understanding of it is only just beginning to awaken. Many people are surprised by the developments. What impact will all this have on our lives and our democracy? We need public debate on that, and we need to set boundaries. Naturally, security agencies will always strive to gather as much information as possible and to find backdoors into everything. That’s why we need laws to set out what’s acceptable and what isn’t.
How about your own trust in privacy? Do you still write emails without a care?
Damon: I still write emails, but they’re all pretty boring. If anyone were to read them, they wouldn’t get much enjoyment out of it. (Laughs) Like everyone else, of course, I constantly use my smartphone – not just to keep in touch with my kids. Practically my whole life revolves around it. But I steer clear of social media, I don’t tweet, I don’t do Facebook. That makes me a bit old-fashioned, I suppose.
Could you imagine hanging up your career and just looking after your kids?
Damon: Clint Eastwood once told me how tired he was of seeing himself on screen. I can easily imagine slowing down a bit in the future. But I’m certainly not thinking of quitting – I simply love filmmaking far too much for that.
Is it true you’ll be appearing in the US remake of Til Schweiger’s “Head Full of Honey”?
Damon: I’ve never heard anything about that. (Laughs)
Will there be another Bourne adventure for you?
Damon: I don’t know – that’s up to Paul Greengrass, but he still has two other films to make first. After that, we’ll see how the world looks. Maybe Jason Bourne will be needed to save the world from a President Trump.
Do you think Trump has a chance?
Damon: After Brexit, I can imagine anything. I was truly shocked when that happened – I never would have expected it. And suddenly, Trump’s rise seems much more likely. Again, it’s about angry people who feel abandoned by the system. Right-wing extremists are gaining ground everywhere and there’s this “Let’s build a wall” mentality. It’s unbelievable that I’m saying this now, because a year ago none of us would have thought it: but it really could become reality, that this man could win.