Adaptation of a Deadline interview with Matt Damon and Casey Affleck about the streaming hit – the film ‘The Instigators’.
‘The Instigators’ from Apple TV+ has become an example of how a moderately priced film can be a success for a major streaming service. Thanks to smart marketing, including a viral Dunkin' Donuts ad, the film became one of the most-watched projects on Apple TV+.
Deadline journalist met with the film's main stars – Matt Damon and Casey Affleck – and talked with them about a possible sequel, Apple TV+, and working together. We have translated and adapted the material for you, omitting the part about baseball (too American a story).
About a Possible Sequel
Matt Damon and Casey Affleck are already in talks with Apple executives to reprise their beloved characters in a sequel to ‘The Instigators’. Director Doug Liman has also expressed interest in making a sequel, having previously declined the opportunity to participate in a sequel to another streaming action film – . Despite the spectacular bar fight between Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor becoming a hit on Amazon Prime, Liman felt cheated after signing a contract with MGM for a full theatrical release, only to get an online-only premiere from Amazon. Ironically, ‘The Instigators’ launched directly on Apple TV+, but unlike the ‘House’ situation, this was stipulated in the director's contract.
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Open materialMatt Damon is glad he starred in ‘The Instigators’ and wouldn't mind working on a sequel:
It would be incredible if that [sequel] happened. Look, it was the most wonderful and fun group of people. Working with Casey, with Doug after so many years, with Apple was just amazing throughout the whole process.
Casey and I were just talking about how great it all was, how they handled the film. Apple representatives said the film ranked first across all streaming platforms, including series. That's great, it means people like it as much as we do. So yes, it would be wonderful if a sequel happened.
Casey Affleck, who co-wrote ‘The Instigators’, starred in the film because he wanted something light after a tough decade and a filmography full of dark movies. His view on a potential sequel is a bit more restrained:
If it's not a huge disaster for the people who invested money in it, that's all I'm looking for. In this case, it was the opposite, so I feel good. But my career... In the words of Winston Churchill, the only success I know is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. When, one way or another, many people follow the work, that's the icing on the cake.
When you find yourself in a group of people with an impressive track record, smart and caring, the chances of success, critically or commercially, are very high. If I were given a chance to do it again, I'd be thrilled because I know I can do better. I want to play that character again.
About the Connection Between the Actors
The relationship between Affleck and Damon's characters in the film, constantly picking on each other, has organically developed far beyond the screen since they were childhood neighbors in Cambridge.
“That's 43 years of dysfunction,” Damon jokes about their relationship. “I love him so much. He drives me crazy. He's been like a little brother to me my whole life, and I'm so proud of him. That was one of the main reasons I wanted to be in this film. We haven't worked together in a long time, and it was a great joy for me while filming ‘The Instigators’.”
Most actors regret turning down a role that became a career turning point for someone else. That happened with the film ‘Manchester by the Sea’, where Matt Damon was listed as the lead actor but ended up only as a producer. And Casey Affleck delivered a stunning performance that earned him the Oscar for Best Actor.
Here's what Damon says about that story:
Casey and I staged a play by Kenny Lonergan in London in 2002. John Krasinski and I commissioned Kenny to write ‘Manchester’, and I was supposed to star in it, but I had to drop out due to my schedule [it coincided with filming Ridley Scott's ‘The Martian’].
I literally said: the only actor I would give this role to, because it's the best role I've seen in the last ten years, is Casey. I knew exactly what he would do with it, how great an actor he is. But I also knew how well he works with Kenny and with Kenny's dialogue, and I knew exactly what he would do. So no, I'm very proud that I got to be a producer and the world got to see him in that film. It's a masterful performance, and the film is a perfect combination of a great script, great direction, and great acting.
Casey, of course, is grateful, but also reminds that it was he who persuaded director Gus Van Sant to read the script for ‘Good Will Hunting’ by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, thanks to which the film was made and the friends won an Oscar and became stars.
After Van Sant agreed, Matt and Ben invited Casey to audition as the fourth friend (the third was Cole Hauser). But Casey couldn't help noting that although Matt was always close with his brother Ben, young Casey felt neglected by his attention:
Matt lived a couple of blocks from me but was much older. And he looked even older, so we didn't hang out until we reached school and college age, when the age difference didn't matter as much. But he was always different from me. He sat in the back of the bus, I sat in the front; he was with the cool older kids, and I was with the cool younger kids.
Read our review of the film at the link:
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