Overview
- Matt Damon shared the anecdote on the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast in a recent appearance covered on Jan. 13, 2026.
- He said he spent six months with a dialect coach in Florida preparing a South African accent for his role in the 2009 film.
- According to Damon, the first take ended with Eastwood saying, "Cut, print, move on," before he could try another approach.
- Damon recalled Eastwood responding, "Why you wanna waste everybody's time?" and he framed the comment as delivered with kindness.
- He added that on their second collaboration they did about 40 takes with a 9-year-old non-actor, with Eastwood working right beside him to guide the scene.