First things first. Matt Damon’s latest film, “Stuck on You,” the Farrelly brothers’ new slapstick comedy starring conjoined twins, is NOT about him and buddy Ben Affleck. Rather, Damon plays the shy brother whose twin, Greg Kinnear, wants to make it big in Hollywood–and the laughs commence.
What did you think when you first heard of this film?
I balked a bit, but once I read the script and talked to [the Farrellys] I realized where they were coming from–from the heart, and the characters we were playing are the protagonists; the brothers we play are winners from the very beginning. I never felt the movie crossed the line into bad taste or cynicism or cruel humor. It’s about two brothers and the sacrifices they make for each other in overcoming adversity and all that good stuff, and that would be nice during the holidays.
What did you think about being this close to Greg?
When I read it, I didn’t think of the practical reality of being harnessed to a man for 14 hours a day, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Once we got the hang of it, it went pretty well.
How about when you two were unclothed?
The scenes where we wore the swimming trunks, all that was fake–our chests and back and, obviously, the piece in the middle. It was all sculpted on by these guys. We all got up at 3 a.m. and they did the hard work while we stood there and didn’t move. The 12 hours we were together was grueling. It’s an exercise in patience, but I hate it when actors sit around and complain about this. It was great work on our part–months of training. We got to be really good flipping burgers–there was nothing CGI [computer-generated imagery] in this movie.
What was it like working with Cher?
What was interesting about Cher in this movie is that she was to play a diva named Cher. She’d come and hang out on the set in sweat pants, a real normal person. Then they’d come and say, “In 20 minutes, we need two more shots,” and she’d say, “OK.” In her trailer were all these costumes; she’d put them on, and a crazy wig and do these wild scenes. She said, “I can’t go halfway; I have to really go for it.” She was fun to be around; I think we bonded.
It’s amazing how your two characters persevere.
The thought of giving up never strikes a young actor; it’s the way Greg plays it. He perfected the kind of person who is impervious to attack no matter what happens. You have to have a certain amount of that [attitude] to cope, since as a young actor you have so much rejection and you have so few kudos to build your confidence on.
As for being associated with Ben Affleck?
In our eyes, we always had our own identities. I never felt he’s really crowding me. We’ve been best friends for 20 years so I never felt infringed upon and he didn’t either. I guess it’s nice to get some personal space.
