Matt Damon talks about reprising the iconic role of Jason Bourne in the latest installment of the movie franchise, Jason Bourne
How was the experience of playing Jason Bourne againIJ
Jason Bourne has been a defining role in my life and career. It has enabled me to choose other roles recklessly because I had the safety of a Bourne movie. Jason Bourne has been a huge role for me on a number of levels. I’ve always been grateful to Doug liman for giving me this role 16 years ago. I’m sure I will always be associated with Jason Bourne, no matter what else I do. You do something four times in your career, you know it’s going to follow you around. I don’t mind being followed around by Jason Bourne.
What is the film, Jason Bourne, aboutIJ
The film is about Bourne getting to the root of his identity and understanding how he really came to be Jason Bourne. It goes back into his past and he gets all the answers to the original question of his true identity.
How was it working with the new cast members like Alicia Vikander and Tommy lee JonesIJ
The concept of the Bourne films is to always get the best actors in the world to do the whole B-side of the story, like Joan Alan, David Strathairn, Brian Cox and Chris Cooper. This time, we’ve got Alicia Vikander and Tommy lee Jones. Alicia brings the whole element of youth to the story and Tommy is a legend. The three previous movies (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum) follow the frustrated prodigal son narrative arc and this one is similar. There’s a deep connection between Tommy’s character and Bourne. It shakes Bourne to his core and there’s a reckoning that needs to take place.
You shot in las Vegas this time...
In The Bourne Ultimatum, we had shut down a couple of blocks in Sixth Avenue, New York, and I remember thinking, ‘This is totally insane.’ I had the same feeling standing in the middle of the las Vegas Boulevard. It’s massive. I can’t even wrap my brain around the scale of what we were doing but, hopefully, that’s what people would want; something bigger than what we’ve done before.
Can you tell us more about the ‘treadstone’ fightIJ
It’s got to be the mother of all treadstone fights. It’s a stance between the last two guys. It’s going to be a fight where both men are highly trained and injured but, at the same time, they are desperate. The choreography is awesome. It’s a very punishing fight but it’s what the audience would want to see.
How was it working with Paul Greengrass againIJ
Paul Greengrass is my friend and I just trust him completely. Paul’s style is like the saying: “If you want an omelette, you’ve got to break some eggs.” Often, it’s like your character has an agenda but you won’t have dialogues. You have to know what your character wants to say and it all just fits in. It’s an incredible and creative process.
What’s your take on cyber warfareIJ
The whole concept of this fourth arena of cyber warfare and what has happened with technology recently, that’s very much in the public consciousness — our digital life, our civil liberties, to what extent people are keeping tabs on us. Bourne finds himself in this new world. Heather lee (Alicia Vikander) is an expert in that cyber world and Bourne quickly finds himself in this new world and is matched against somebody whose skill set he isn’t familiar with.