Overview
- Speaking on Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Damon said Eastwood ended his very first take with “Cut, print, move on” on the first day of filming Invictus.
- When Damon asked to try another version, Eastwood replied, “Why you wanna waste everybody’s time?” which Damon described as blunt but not unkind.
- Damon said he spent six months with a dialect coach to master the South African accent for his role as rugby captain Francois Pienaar.
- He called Eastwood “a lovely guy” and explained the director’s philosophy of trusting prepared actors and preserving momentum to avoid taxing the crew.
- Damon contrasted the moment with a later scene involving a 9-year-old non-actor that required dozens of takes, which he said showed Eastwood’s flexibility when needed.