Matt Damon and Casey Affleck are back in Boston!
The Oscar winners spoke with Access Hollywood alongside co-star Hong Chau about their new film “The Instigators,” which Casey co-wrote, and what it was like returning to their hometown for the upcoming action thriller.
Both Matt and Casey noted how easily they both slipped back into their Boston accents and how refreshing it was to bring that side of themselves to their roles.
“It’s kind of the best part, being able to just openly be speaking your native tongue and not have anyone give you a hard time about it,” Casey smiled.
Matt agreed and noted that the ease with which he’s able to incorporate the signature accent on set.
“It is fun to fall into it, because that’s what it feels like. It doesn’t feel like you’re putting it on as much as you’re falling into it and it just feels pretty comfortable,” he said.
Boston University alum Hong also raved over getting to work with Matt again after their 2017 film “Downsizing,” and the trio went on to share their gratitude for being able to reunite with castmates and crew members they’ve connected with over the years.
Matt and Casey, of course, have known each other for decades since Matt became childhood friends with Casey’s older brother, Ben Affleck, and the trio went on to break out in the now-classic “Good Will Hunting.” Now, Matt said he and Ben are focusing on developing projects together through their company Artists Equity, which co-produced “The Instigators.”
“Ben and I are in our 50s now and we’re looking at our lives differently than we did in our 30s and really enjoying the idea that we can kind of curate some of these situations so that we can be with the people that we love,” he explained.
Matt also reacted to another blast from the past when Access showed him a recent interview with Hong’s “Kinds of Kindness” co-star Jesse Plemons, who is frequently considered a doppelganger of Matt’s – in fact, an 11-year-old Jesse even played a young version of Matt’s character in the 2000 Western “All the Pretty Horses.”
Matt had a heartfelt response when seeing Jesse’s take on the comparisons to one another, and laughed when Jesse said he hopes Matt isn’t “annoyed” by the situation.
“He’s a great actor and I love what he’s done and the choices he makes. He’s so, he’s incredible to watch and I’m really, I’m proud of the comparison,” Matt said, adding, “I would love to do something with him, I think he’s great.”
Matt also recalled meeting a young Jesse on set after being told that the resemblance was truly uncanny and how he was left astonished as well.
“I couldn’t believe it. He looked more like me than I did when I was little. … He looked exactly like me. I was like, ‘This is really weird,'” he said, noting that he wishes he could find a photograph of the two of them together from that time.
“The Instigators” will debut in select theaters Aug. 2 before its global premiere on Apple TV+ Aug. 9.
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