Matt Damon: Bourne again, more daring than ever

SEOUL — Matt Damon showed no symptoms when he and his leading lady Alicia Vikander graced the press conference for Jason Bourne (again directed by Paul Greengrass), his fourth outing as the elite-trained assassin, at the ballroom of Four Seasons and, later that day, when he faced the Asian press at the round table.

“I was sick last night,” he opened the session, widely smiling. “I had a fever. Maybe I ate something in Australia that didn’t agree with me.”

He flew into this city on his private plane for the Asian promo leading to the movie’s release (nationwide in the Philippines on Wednesday, July 27).

He was game during the interview and, unlike some Hollywood actors, barred no holds, answering all the questions with the smile that never left his face.

Anyway, when Bourne disappeared in New York’s East River in Bourne Ultimatum in 2007 (third in the franchise following Bourne Identity and Bourne Supremacy, loosely based on Robert Ludlum’s novels), his followers thought that he was gone…for good, until he resurfaces a decade later, “flushed out of hiding by an instantly malleable network that is more dangerous than any individual government whose singular goal is to manipulate terror, technology and insurgency to fit its end game,” with Vikander (The Danish Girl, Ex Machina) as a prodigy hacker. (Others in the cast are Tommy Lee Jones as Bourne’s antagonist which he describes as “a bad guy who’s trying to kill a good guy;” Vincent Cassel as the enigmatic character The Asset; and Julia Stiles reprising her role as Nicolette “Nicky” Parsons.)

With Swedish actress Alicia Vikander, his Jason Bourne leading lady, during the Seoul presscon

How do you feel being Bourne again after nine years?

“Well, it’s exciting for me to come back as this character. You see, I love this character very much because it has had a huge impact on my life and my career.”

Excited and even more daring than ever?

(Laughs) “It’s definitely more difficult to play Jason Bourne when you are 45 years old (born on Oct. 8, 1970) than when you were 29 because you still have to run as hard…you are being pursued diligently. So that part is a challenge. But to get together with a group of people and familiar friends, the same creative group, and to make another movie together is really rare in our business. You work very closely with them for six months and then you don’t see them again for years and years. So the older I get, the more I appreciate the chance to get to do something like that.”

What sort of physical training did you do?

“A lot of physical training, a lot more than I ever did in the past. Everything took longer for me to get back in shape.”

How do you keep that kind of body?

“I don’t keep it…” (Laughs)…“It’s gone!”

How do you keep in shape?

“It’s not keeping in shape, it’s getting into shape. And getting into a kind of shape is just very time-consuming. It takes so many hours a day once you get past 40. I think I can maintain a level of fitness by eating specific food and working out.”

You said you wouldn’t have done this movie if Paul Greengrass wasn‘t directing?

“You’re right. To be reunited with Paul was really my main reason for making this movie. I always said that I wouldn’t do it without Paul and I’m really glad that I laid down that ultimatum so many years ago. He’s such a brilliant filmmaker. We made another movie in the intervening years, called Green Zone, which wasn’t a Bourne movie. I was constantly looking for things to make with Paul because I just love him and I love his whole style and his approach, and I think it leads to really good work.”

At the preview, we held our breath during the prolonged car chase around Las Vegas. It was wow!

“This movie is more action-packed and more thrilling than all its predecessors. There are great fight sequences that we worked really hard on. The car chase is bigger than anything we’ve ever done. The one in Las Vegas is one of the film’s highlights. The shoot forced the production crew to shut down a few city blocks every night at midnight for several days. All in all, 170 cars, real cars, were wrecked.”

It’s the longest car chase in movie history.

With your Conversationalist during the interview

“They told me that they were going to shut down Las Vegas and I said, ‘No way! That’s not possible! Where would you get the permit to do that?’ I think the car chase just grew in magnitude. They were able to find a location. ‘We’re going to rush it!,’ they told me. I would say that it’s the mother of all Jason Bourne car chases…and that’s saying a lot because it’s really fantastic.”

I’ve seen most of your movies and I congratulate you for being a daring actor. I wonder, is there any role that you won’t dare play? (In Behind the Candelabra, he does love scenes with Michael Douglas as Liberace, and got an Emmy Award nomination.)

“You know, for me, it’s really about the director now. If the director is really good, I’ll try anything. I like the fact that I haven’t been forced into a corner to play the same role over and over again. I played varied roles in all my movies and I like that.”

Do you see yourself in Jason Bourne?

“I think he’s a lot like me. I think we have similar qualities. Jason Bourne has a lot of integrity. He’s honest, he’s loyal. He’s protective and, yes, he’s just as daring, too.”

Which was harder, (as an astronaut) being stranded on Mars or being chased by all those fast cars in Jason Bourne?

“Everything was easy to do with the directors I’ve been working with like Ridley (Scott in The Martian) and Paul. That’s the truth; that’s what things come down to. Filmmaking is difficult. I’ve been in movies that felt like we were not accomplishing anything. With Ridley and Paul, I’m just having fun; they have a way of making things so much easier. When you are working with master directors, you feel free to focus and you are relaxed, and they can inspire you to come up with your best work.”

Any chance for you to shoot a movie in the Philippines? (Several scenes of Bourne Legacy starring Jeremy Renner were filmed in Manila and Palawan. The movie is not officially part of the Bourne series and referred to by a US magazine as a “sidequel.”)

“Yeah. It’s just about a story that will take me there. If a director calls me tomorrow and says, ‘I have a script for you and we’re shooting in the Philippines,’ I would love to. Yeah, I would love to.”

You haven’t worked with your good friend Ben Affleck since Good Will Hunting years ago. Any chance for you to work together again?

(Deadpan) “If he’s lucky.” (Adding in jest) “I mean, I would love to, I would love to! Ben is a great actor, a great director and a great producer, but the problem is that when he directs a movie, he gives the best part to himself. Until he stops doing that, then maybe we can start working together again.”

So how much longer do you think you will be playing Jason Bourne?

“I don’t know. So much depends on Paul. If he comes up with another Bourne story to tell and he wants to do it, then I’m definitely in. I love working with him. He has to go make other films for now.”

To your fans, you will forever be Jason Bourne.

“I’m sure I will always be associated with this role no matter what else I do. You do something four separate times in your career and it’s going to follow you around. But I don’t mind being followed by this one because I really like Jason Bourne.”

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