|
 The U.S. actor - who brought a
dose of Hollywood glamour back to the Cannes
Film Festival red carpet after the COVID-19
pandemic derailed the event last year - said he
spent time driving around and living with the
so-called roughnecks in the Republican state to
grasp his character's mindset in "Stillwater".
"Being invited into their homes, into a backyard
barbecue, a guitar comes out and they start
singing church songs. It's a very specific
place.. and very different to where I grew up,"
Damon told a news conference after "Stillwater"
held its red carpet premiere at the world's
biggest cinema festival.
"It was really eye-opening for me."
In the film, which was screened out of the
festival's main competition, Damon plays oil
worker Bill Baker, who travels to Marseille,
France to visit his estranged student daughter
Allison in prison.
She is serving time for the murder of her
roommate, echoing the story of American student
Knox and her then boyfriend who were convicted
and later acquitted of killing British student
Meredith Kercher at a flat in Perugia, Italy, in
2007.
The film explores the struggles faced by Baker
in a foreign country, as he tries to overcome
cultural and language barriers to help Allison,
played by Abigail Breslin, when a new lead comes
to light.
Oscar-winning director Tom McCarthy, of
"Spotlight" fame, said he was working on the
film against the backdrop of former U.S.
President Donald Trump's administration, which
also influenced his approach to Baker's
character and how he is viewed overseas.
[to top of second column]
|
 McCarthy said the real-life
Knox story kicked off the idea.
"I was pretty fascinated by the Amanda Knox
case. It really just served as inspiration, I
started to think about the relatonship with the
father, I had just had a daughter," McCarthy
told the news conference.
CANNES COMEBACK
Damon said having children of his own had also
helped him relate to Baker, who is struggling to
repair his broken relationship with his
daughter.
"Since I've had kids I feel like everything is a
lot more available in my job, emotionally
speaking," Damon said.
On one visit to Marseille, his character forges
a new bond with a French child, eight-year-old
Maya, played by first-timer Lilou Siauvaud, and
her mother.
"I realised straight away I was working with the
Meryl Streep of nine-year-olds," Damon said.
(Reporting by Sarah White and Hanna Rantala;
Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content
 |
