Damon & Affleck: 40 Years of Trust & Laughter on "The Instigators"
Matt Damon and Casey Affleck's on-screen partnership in the new heist comedy "The Instigators" is a testament to a bond forged over four decades of friendship.
"We have this 43-year shared history," Damon, 53, says of Casey, 48, and his brother Ben Affleck in this week's issue of PEOPLE. "We grew up together."
Their "shared experience, relationship, trust, and love," as Damon describes it, makes collaborating on projects like "The Instigators" a natural process. "There's an underlying understanding of who we are," he explains.
Damon highlights the unique dynamic they share, where "there's a whole language that gets created around trying to protect people's feelings" in the film industry. "We don't waste any time on diplomacy, which I love," he adds.
In "The Instigators," directed by Doug Liman, Damon portrays Rory, a father who joins forces with Casey's ex-con, Cobby, to pull off a heist targeting a corrupt politician. The synopsis describes their escapade as a "whirlwind of chaos," involving "police, backward bureaucrats, and vengeful crime bosses." The film also features a stellar cast including Hong Chau, Michael Stuhlbarg, Paul Walter Hauser, Alfred Molina, and Ron Perlman.
The film's setting adds another layer to their collaboration. Filmed in their shared hometown of Boston, "The Instigators" offered Casey an opportunity to reconnect with his roots. He reflects on the city's transformation, noting that "Boston has changed a lot. It's really not the city that we grew up in." However, he remains deeply connected to his birthplace: "On the other hand, it's the place I still feel more at home than anywhere else. So that says something about what a place does to you when you're growing. I'll forever be connected to this place no matter how much it changes."
Damon, recalling their early days pursuing Hollywood dreams alongside the Affleck brothers, emphasises the importance of their mutual support during that period. "We weren't afraid to be vulnerable with each other as young men," he shares. They found solace and strength in their shared experiences: "Part of being an actor and putting yourself in those positions and getting rejected constantly... knowing that somebody else is living that same life and making those same sacrifices, that shared sense of experience, that's why we would clump up and hang out together and talk about it."
"The Instigators" is currently playing in cinemas and will be available to stream on Apple TV+ from 9th August.
