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Matt Damon Had Final Cut On The Movie
A lot of things just come to down to trust, and there tends to be a lack of trust between the people with the money and the people making the movie. Historically, that’s fair. [laughs] I always thought [Kenneth Lonergan’s] position [on “Margaret”] was very reasonable — he was trying to make the best movie that he could. But, contractually speaking, he wasn’t bringing the movie in exactly at the [running] time he said he would [editor’s note: this launched various lawsuits and the movie being delayed by nearly five years]. So, obviously, entering into a new deal, [producers] go, “Well ,what’s gonna happen? Is he crazy?” It’s like, “No, he’s brilliant. He’s gonna make the best movie.” Nobody’s in cross-purposes here.
Basically, there was an argument about final cut on “Margaret.” And so, the deal and the compromise we struck was that they gave me final cut of [“Manchester By The Sea”] because they somehow thought I was sane. Obviously, none of it ever came up. We all looked at these brilliant cuts that Kenny came in with. He handed in beautiful versions of the movie and we all just did what we did with the screenplay and told him “keep going.” And he did and this is very much his movie.
At Every Stage, “Manchester By The Sea” Was An Emotional Experience
I never made it through any version of this script without just crying my eyes out. When I started to see the performances, it just absolutely wrecked me. It’s really heavy, but in the right way. And a really deep and profound way. I think it’s the most honest portrayal of grief that I’ve ever seen on screen.
The Reaction At Sundance
That was really, really great. And also, that night at the screening, there was that wonderful reaction and then Amazon bought it. And they paid $10 million [and the producers] got all their money back, which is really important because a lot of people come to Hollywood and they don’t get their money back. And we need these people to come, we need these believers to come and help us make these movies. And when it’s a good business deal for them, that’s good for all of us. But then to sell the movie was… because at Sundance, you go in there and it’s a white-knuckle experience. You’re like, I hope they like it. Because if they don’t, you’re screwed. [laughs]
How Amazon Changed Things
They’ve been amazing. Eventually this movie will end up at 800 screens, which is a big deal for a movie this size. I’m just thankful that somebody’s stepping in to fill that vacuum because I want movies like this to keep getting made. Because movies like this just don’t get made and they’re really special.
The Balance Of Drama And Comedy.
Yeah, I think that was one of the things that people responded to when they read the script. All that humor was in there, but it wasn’t cheap. It was really earned. And that’s kind of something if you look at Kenny’s writing — thematically, it’s very, very deep and profound stuff, but it’s always very funny.
Will Matt Damon Direct In The Future?
Things have been going well as an actor recently [laughs]. But I really do wanna direct and…we’re developing a lot of stuff at our office — Ben [Affleck] and me. So eventually, I’ll find something. But I stand by my decision to let Kenny do this one.
You can listen to the audio of the full Q&A below.
