I like Matt Damon a lot, both onscreen and off.  I like the way he spends his movie-star clout.  I like the way he pursues material that seems like it would be hard to pull off, and I like the way he pulls it off more often than not.

I like that he wrote his way to stardom, something which is still impressive even 12 years later.

And I like his taste in filmmakers.  This is a guy who could work with anyone, and when you're in that situation, who you work with says a lot about who you are.

Matt Damon has as little ego about being "a movie star" as anyone I've ever spoken with, and sitting down with him in Toronto to discuss "The Informant!" was a pleasure, even in the midst of the typical madness of junket press days.

I'm glad I interviewed Terry Gilliam this summer, because it led to one of the best parts of the interview with Damon, which you'll see embedded to the left or for a larger version, click here.

[more after the jump]

The only thing you missed there is that after the camera stopped rolling, Matt told me that the broken nose makeup he used in "Grimm" originally was actually used finally in the new Clint Eastwood film, "Invictus," since the real-life guy he's playing broke his nose playing rugby.  This may be the first time Clint Eastwood has ever used a Terry Gilliam idea onscreen.  Groovy.

I sincerely hope you give "The Informant!" a chance, particularly if you feel like movies don't treat audiences like intelligent adults often enough.  Here's a film that disproves that completely, and yet it's just plain silly and entertaining.  Go figure.  It can be done.

"The Informant!" opens September 18th.

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