{"id":17057,"date":"2016-08-14T23:34:46","date_gmt":"2016-08-14T21:34:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/berlin030.de\/?p=17057"},"modified":"2016-08-14T23:34:46","modified_gmt":"2016-08-14T21:34:46","slug":"vielleicht-muss-bourne-einmal-die-welt-vor-trump-retten-interview-mit-matt-damon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/berlin030.de\/en\/2016\/08\/14\/vielleicht-muss-bourne-einmal-die-welt-vor-trump-retten-interview-mit-matt-damon\/","title":{"rendered":"“Maybe Bourne will have to save the world from Trump one day!” \u2013 Interview with Matt Damon"},"content":{"rendered":"

He is considered one of Hollywood\u2019s most bankable actors. But Matt Damon isn\u2019t just about making money; he\u2019s 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\u2019s “The Departed”. Alongside the “Ocean\u2019s 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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Mr Damon, once again you\u2019ve done Berlin the honour of featuring it on film. How long did you spend shooting “Jason Bourne” in Berlin this time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Damon<\/strong>: Unfortunately this time, it wasn\u2019t very long \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

What do you like about Berlin?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Damon<\/strong>: Berlin is a city that simply has everything. In the second film, the city doubled perfectly for Moscow \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

“Bourne” once again delivers action in abundance \u2013 do you find it physically harder these days?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Damon<\/strong>: Definitely! I was 29 when we made the first “Bourne” film, now I\u2019m 45 \u2013 everything\u2019s tougher. (Laughs).<\/p>\n

\"Jason
Did Matt Damon miss the hard work for the fifth Jason Bourne instalment during his break? – \u00a9 Universal Pictures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What motivated you to do this fourth instalment?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Damon<\/strong>: Director Paul Greengrass said: If we\u2019re going to bring this character back, the audience has to see in the very first shot just how much you\u2019ve suffered over these last ten years. We want to give it everything for this film \u2013 that\u2019s what we owe the audience. That exact standard was my motivation. I trained in the gym twice a day for it. Although I\u2019m not really the muscular type. I don\u2019t need that \u2013 I\u2019m very comfortable in my own skin.<\/p>\n

Was there never any consideration to retire Bourne?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Damon<\/strong>: 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\u2019t common and it gives you a wonderful feeling. I\u2019ve certainly made enough films that no one wanted to watch.<\/p>\n

In the meantime there was “The Bourne Legacy”, a film without you and without the agent character. How did that come about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Damon<\/strong>: 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\u2019t have a story ready at the time. So this franchise offshoot was made, just like “X-Men” and “Wolverine”.<\/p>\n

For you, is Bourne the better Bond, because he deals with more politically relevant issues?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Damon<\/strong>: We always wanted “Bourne” to be up to date. The first installments were set during Bush\u2019s presidency, all about the fight against terrorism. Now we\u2019re dealing with a completely new world. The film opens on the Greek border, where so many refugees are passing through. There\u2019s an action scene right in the middle of a protest in Athens. And above all, it\u2019s about privacy versus security. That really is the key issue of our times.<\/p>\n

How realistic do you find the sophisticated surveillance methods in “Jason Bourne”?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Damon<\/strong>: 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\u2019t the first ones to snoop into the life of this harmless elderly lady. It\u2019s alarming to see what\u2019s possible these days.<\/p>\n

\"Jason
The Dark Side of Jason Bourne. – \u00a9 Universal Pictures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Does society react too lethargically to this development?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Damon<\/strong>: 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\u2019s why we need laws to set out what\u2019s acceptable and what isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

How about your own trust in privacy? Do you still write emails without a care? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Damon<\/strong>: I still write emails, but they\u2019re all pretty boring. If anyone were to read them, they wouldn\u2019t get much enjoyment out of it. (Laughs) Like everyone else, of course, I constantly use my smartphone \u2013 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\u2019t tweet, I don\u2019t do Facebook. That makes me a bit old-fashioned, I suppose.<\/p>\n

Could you imagine hanging up your career and just looking after your kids?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Damon<\/strong>: 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\u2019m certainly not thinking of quitting \u2013 I simply love filmmaking far too much for that.<\/p>\n

Is it true you\u2019ll be appearing in the US remake of Til Schweiger\u2019s “Head Full of Honey”?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Damon<\/strong>: I\u2019ve never heard anything about that. (Laughs)<\/p>\n

Will there be another Bourne adventure for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Damon<\/strong>: I don\u2019t know \u2013 that\u2019s up to Paul Greengrass, but he still has two other films to make first. After that, we\u2019ll see how the world looks. Maybe Jason Bourne will be needed to save the world from a President Trump.<\/p>\n

Do you think Trump has a chance?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Damon<\/strong>: After Brexit, I can imagine anything. I was truly shocked when that happened \u2013 I never would have expected it. And suddenly, Trump\u2019s rise seems much more likely. Again, it\u2019s about angry people who feel abandoned by the system. Right-wing extremists are gaining ground everywhere and there\u2019s this \u201cLet\u2019s build a wall\u201d mentality. It\u2019s unbelievable that I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n

“Jason Bourne” is in cinemas from 11 August.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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