With director Tom McCarthy's Stillwater opening in theaters this weekend, I recently spoke to Matt Damon about making the crime drama. If you haven’t seen the Stillwater trailers, Damon plays an oil-rig worker from Oklahoma who goes to Marseille, France to try and exonerate his estranged daughter (Abigail Breslin) over a murder she did not commit. Along the way, he befriends a French woman (Camille Cottin) who tries to assist him with his daughter’s case. Stillwater was written by McCarthy alongside Marcus Hinchey, Thomas Bidegain, and Noé Debré.

During the interview, Damon talked about the way McCarthy writes authentic dialogue, copying his look on real roughnecks, what people would be surprised to learn about the making of Stillwater, how they shot the sequences in Oklahoma with anamorphic lenses and static shots and the stuff in Marseille handheld, and more. In addition, he talked about why he always tries to work on every Steven Soderbergh movie and being part of No Sudden Move.

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Image via Focus Features

RELATED: Tom McCarthy on the Way ‘Stillwater’ Changed in the Editing Room

Check out what he had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.

Matt Damon

  • If he could get the financing for any project what would he make and why?
  • Did he enjoy his look in Stillwater because it’s so unlike what he normally looks like he could be anonymous when walking around?
  • How he copied his look on real roughnecks from Oklahoma.
  • What would people be surprised to learn about the making of Stillwater?
  • The way McCarthy writes realistic dialogue.
  • How McCarthy shot the sequences in Oklahoma with anamorphic lenses and static shots and the stuff in Marseille handheld.
  • His great work in No Sudden Move and why he tries to always work with Steven Soderbergh.
stillwater-movie image (1)
Image via Focus Features