Director Doug Liman tells TV Week about working with MATT DAMON & CASEY AFFLECK in their new action-comedy heist flick
Watching Matt Damon and Casey Affleck banter in The Instigators, as two down-on-their-luck Bostonians who end up chased by law enforcement, corrupt politicians and crime bosses after a heist goes terribly wrong, one would surely think, “This was a good time.” Director Doug Liman, who last worked with Damon 20 years ago on The Bourne Identity, tells TV Week that “fun” is not exactly the right word to describe the making of this action-comedy. “Movies are never quite as fun as they might look. They really are hard work,” he says. “You’re up at five in the morning not having enough sleep, and it’s the pressure of wanting to deliver for an audience, which means getting as much material down on film as you can during the day and not joking around, taking it deadly serious.” That said, if you are putting yourself in a high-pressure situation like this, surround yourself with friends. “Given the sleepless nights, who you’re with when you make the film can make a huge difference,” Liman admits. “Matt’s like a brother to me. Casey, who I didn’t know before Instigators, has become a brother to me and Hong Chau, Matt, Casey and I have become a family together. It was a very special experience making The Instigators.” TV Week spoke to the prolific director about how to make an action film shine — and the answer is surprisingly not its fight sequences.
What stood out to you about the script?
How amazing the characters were. When I first read it, I was like, we could cast the hell out of this. That’s why we go see movies. I mean, it’s a really fun heist and it’s a really fun idea to be trying to rob the corrupt mayor of Boston and have Matt and Casey be horrible thieves — the worst — and the comedy that can be milked from that. Then, the fact that they’re going to go on the run with Matt’s psychiatrist (Chao) is such a fun premise and it’s going to be a great ride. But what jumped out at me was that every single part in that script was really fun and special, and I thought, we’re going to be able to bring in fantastic actors and make every little moment count.
I heard that this was very collaborative. What do you feel is the Doug Liman touch? What do you bring to the process?
I treat my actors like my partners and we figure out the characters together so that they don’t get lost. At the end of the day, I want the biggest thing in the movie to be the characters, not the action. I want to make the most exciting movie possible, but if you look at Bourne Identity, which is the last time Matt and I made a movie together, as big as the spectacle of Bourne is, Jason Bourne is the most special part of the movie. And in the case of Instigators, as high-concept a movie as it is, I wanted to create a character for Matt Damon that was even bigger and more special than anything we could do in the premise. What Matt and I came up with, workshopping it together, was a guy who sands floors for a living, who finds himself trying to rob the corrupt mayor of Boston. Here’s a guy who’s a rule-follower. He’s been a rule-follower his whole life. It hasn’t worked out for him, but he’s going to continue to follow the rules even as he does this heist. Even when the heist goes awry and they end up being chased by all of New England’s police forces, he’s still that same guy who follows rules. I thought, I’ve never seen a character like that in a heist movie.
Was there anything you felt this would bring out in Casey and Matt that we hadn’t seen before?
Well, Matt and Casey have never done a two-hander like this before. We’ve seen Matt in action movies but Matt hasn’t done a comedy in awhile. And Casey has never been given the opportunity to be a leading man in a big commercial movie. That’s one of my favourite things, in making films. If you ask, what’s the Doug Liman touch? Maybe it’s to show actors you know in ways they’ve never been seen before. When Matt and I did Bourne Identity, he was coming off of Good Will Hunting and The Talented Mr. Ripley. No one thought of him as an action hero. I said, that’s the kind of guy I want. I want to take someone who’s never done an action movie and put them in an action movie. And in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Angelina Jolie had never done a comedy. I wanted to show how funny she can be. I love showing people Matt’s comedy side and showing Casey’s leading man side, and then, obviously, they have such fantastic chemistry together.
With your experience, this kind of action movie is where you really get to shine. Do you find ways to stretch your own abilities?
Yeah. Part of it is, I never do the same film twice. There’s comedy in my movies, but I haven’t made a film that was first and foremost a comedy since Swingers. I’m constantly trying to push myself into different arenas, because the last thing in the world I ever want to do is repeat myself. I mean, it is stupid. The reality is, as a filmmaker, if you find something that works, you should just keep banging it out, right? The smart thing for me would be to, once I find something that works, do more of that. But for some reason I’m terrified of repeating myself. Maybe it’s just that I have a short attention span and I want the process of making a film to be exciting and terrifying.
How did The Instigators push you?
There are so many parts of The Instigators I’d never done before. I’d never done a heist film. And then, obviously, Matt and I, the last time we made a film there was a big car chase, and I was like, “Oh no, that’s a very high bar for a guy who doesn’t want to repeat himself.” The chase made me really nervous, and I thought, actually that’s a really great opportunity, because I’m going to try to do the most exciting car chase you could possibly pull off. And, because I’m shooting in Boston with a film produced by Ben Affleck, starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, Boston is basically opening themselves up and saying, “What can we do to help you?” That means you can do a freaking fantastic car chase. You can close the streets and do the things you need to do to do something really special. But my goal on Instigators was to have what was happening inside the car be more compelling than the chase outside the car. And the script and having powerhouse actors like Hong, Casey and Matt gave me a shot at accomplishing that.
The Instigators, streaming on Apple TV+