Doesn't hold your hand: Matt Damon on Nolan's approach to films, Interstellar days
Actor Matt Damon praised Christopher Nolan's unique filmmaking style in an exclusive interview. He recalled how the director preferred to keep shooting instead of celebrating a perfect take during Interstellar.
Actor Matt Damon has opened up about Christopher Nolan's unique way of working on film sets, saying the Oscar-winning director prefers to keep the shoot moving instead of celebrating every successful take. During an exclusive conversation with India Today while promoting The Odyssey in India, the actor also looked back at filming Interstellar with Nolan and explained why he admires the filmmaker's practical, no-nonsense approach.
Speaking about Nolan's filmmaking style, Damon said, "He's very circumspect and I joke about it but I don't mind that at all. We view work the same way. We want to keep going. He builds enormous momentum around the camera and that whole department. I remember on Interstellar there was a sequence where we are on this ice planet where I am stranded and my habitat explodes."
He recalled convincing Nolan to let him be part of a practical explosion sequence instead of using a safer alternative.
"I talked Chris into letting me be in one of the angles and tying me into the explosion because I love to do real practical effects like that. We did this shot and staged it so I am coming up this thing. I walk over and then, as the camera hinges, this thing explodes. I acknowledge it and I keep going. And obviously we got it in one take," he said.
Damon shared that while the crew celebrated the successful shot, Nolan had already moved on to setting up the next one.
"It goes well. Everyone cheers and Chris is already marching off. He's like, 'We're over here now.' He's already going to set up the next shot. Later, we were all staying in the same little hikers motel and I mentioned it to him. He said, 'Yeah, it went perfectly. But if we had stayed to celebrate, we would have been congratulating ourselves for another hour and a half. We would have gotten nothing done. I knew we were going to meet up back here and I could tell everybody good job once the shooting was done,'" Damon said.
The actor said that moment perfectly summed up Nolan's work ethic.
"So I love that momentum and it just means he doesn't spend a lot of time holding your hand and telling you how great you are. He just wants to get on with it," Damon added.
In The Odyssey, Damon and Tom Holland play Odysseus and his son Telemachus. The team held the film's India premiere over the weekend, with their cafe visits and interactions with fans going viral on social media.
The Odyssey also stars Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and Anne Hathaway in key roles. The Christopher Nolan directorial is set to release in theatres on July 17.
Actor Matt Damon has opened up about Christopher Nolan's unique way of working on film sets, saying the Oscar-winning director prefers to keep the shoot moving instead of celebrating every successful take. During an exclusive conversation with India Today while promoting The Odyssey in India, the actor also looked back at filming Interstellar with Nolan and explained why he admires the filmmaker's practical, no-nonsense approach.
Speaking about Nolan's filmmaking style, Damon said, "He's very circumspect and I joke about it but I don't mind that at all. We view work the same way. We want to keep going. He builds enormous momentum around the camera and that whole department. I remember on Interstellar there was a sequence where we are on this ice planet where I am stranded and my habitat explodes."
He recalled convincing Nolan to let him be part of a practical explosion sequence instead of using a safer alternative.
"I talked Chris into letting me be in one of the angles and tying me into the explosion because I love to do real practical effects like that. We did this shot and staged it so I am coming up this thing. I walk over and then, as the camera hinges, this thing explodes. I acknowledge it and I keep going. And obviously we got it in one take," he said.
Damon shared that while the crew celebrated the successful shot, Nolan had already moved on to setting up the next one.
"It goes well. Everyone cheers and Chris is already marching off. He's like, 'We're over here now.' He's already going to set up the next shot. Later, we were all staying in the same little hikers motel and I mentioned it to him. He said, 'Yeah, it went perfectly. But if we had stayed to celebrate, we would have been congratulating ourselves for another hour and a half. We would have gotten nothing done. I knew we were going to meet up back here and I could tell everybody good job once the shooting was done,'" Damon said.
The actor said that moment perfectly summed up Nolan's work ethic.
"So I love that momentum and it just means he doesn't spend a lot of time holding your hand and telling you how great you are. He just wants to get on with it," Damon added.
In The Odyssey, Damon and Tom Holland play Odysseus and his son Telemachus. The team held the film's India premiere over the weekend, with their cafe visits and interactions with fans going viral on social media.
The Odyssey also stars Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and Anne Hathaway in key roles. The Christopher Nolan directorial is set to release in theatres on July 17.
