For Matt Damon, teaming up with longtime buddy and collaborator Ben Affleck is a tried and examined method.
The pair’s newest double act sees Matt play the starring position in Air as Nike government Sonny Vaccaro, the linchpin within the historic deal between Nike and Michael Jordan that revolutionised the world of company sports activities.
Worlds away from his ripped and toned Jason Bourne persona, in an effort to play the position of Vaccaro authentically, Damon needed to depart all shreds of self-importance on the door, acquire weight and put on a bodysuit.
But Damon wasn’t the one supply of amusement on set. Affleck, who performed Nike co-founder Phil Knight, donned an unflattering wig and tights, emblematic of the ‘80s era in which the story is set. Air is a movie about the human spirit beating the odds. Michael Jordan was still a rookie in the basketball world and Nike was a shoe company existing in the shadow of Adidas.
Damon says, “You have to remember, Nike was the underdog, which is a weird way to think of them now, but before this incredible deal, they were the renegades, the outsiders.”
Damon recalls the process of the film coming together.
“The first step was getting the blessing of Michael Jordan, which we had to do before we got too excited. Ben said, ‘We should go see him,’ however my children have been doing one thing in New York, and I couldn’t go. So, Ben went to Florida to see Michael. And Michael stated, ‘It’s wonderful should you make the film’. And then Ben informed me, ‘The only bad news is that we have to get Viola Davis. If we don’t get her to play Dolores, his mom, then we are able to’t make the film’.”
The movie had premiered at Austin’s SXSW pageant, and evidently, Jordan’s insistence on Davis taking part in his mom was proper on the cash.
Damon nods, “I knew we were in good shape when Viola walked on screen and the crowd went crazy.” Affleck and Damon have been mates for over 4 a long time since rising up two blocks from one another in Cambridge, Massachusetts, within the ‘80s. Forty years on, Damon is father to four daughters with his wife Luciana Barroso and Affleck, who is co-parenting three kids with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner is part of a blended family with his wife Jennifer Lopez, who is raising 15-year-old twins.
Damon and Affleck have worked together numerous times since their Oscar-winning film Good Will Hunting 25 years ago, including films such as Chasing Amy, Dogma and, more recently, The Last Duel.
However, Air marks the first time Affleck has directed Damon.
On telling Damon how Affleck conveyed such enthusiasm for the opportunity to direct Viola Davis, going as far as saying it was his dream, Damon joked, saying, “Well, he didn’t really feel that means about directing me!”
As for what Jordan means to Damon, he shakes his head. “He’s an intimidating guy, and he’s an icon. He has all this meaning for all of us.”
Although Air is a sports activities film concerning the basketball big, there are common themes that provide one thing greater than a one-dimensional story.
Damon agrees. “I think for the sports aficionados, they’ll love the kind of behind the scenes/behind the curtain type of stuff, but it’s not strictly a sports movie. Air is something for everyone.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
