Clint Eastwood took a huge risk when he hired Matt Damon in his 2009 biographical sports film Invictus. While the actor was game and ready to star as Francois Pienaar, the legendary South African rugby player, he fell short on his height. Damon is only 5’10” while Pienaar is 6’3” – a huge problem for Eastwood.
Thankfully, there are a lot of filmmaking techniques one can do to alter an actor’s physique that does not even require digital enhancement. With just a few smart camera angles and set adjustments, Damon ultimately looked taller and more domineering.
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Clint Eastwood On How He Made Matt Damon Taller And Larger In Invictus
In an interview with Emmanuel Levy, director Clint Eastwood shared how he solved the problem of Matt Damon looking very short among his co-stars who are professional rugby players. To avoid sticking out like a sore thumb, he transformed the actor in the most practical way possible.
“Matt may not be the same height as Francois, but he has the same tenacity and power. He also worked out very hard and got himself in terrific shape for the film. And, by structuring setups and camera angles, you can make a person look the way you need them to look.”
In this age of filmmaking, it’s easy to alter physical appearances through the use of computer applications, but something like this can be resolved without the strain of meticulous editing.
Damon also told in his interview with Collider that Eastwood did not even lose sleep over the fact that his lead actor was too short for the role he was portraying.
“I went immediately and looked up Francois Pienaar online, and I said, ‘Clint, this guy is huge. We’ve never met, but I’m 5’10”. He started laughing and said, ‘Oh, hell, don’t worry about that. You go worry about everything else.’ And, I said, ‘All right, I’ll worry about everything else. You worry about the fact that I need to grow six inches to play this guy.’ ”
That demonstrates how brilliant and resourceful Eastwood is. He chose Damon to star in his film for his skill and tenacity, and he did not let one tiny issue get in the way of casting the actor.
Clint Eastwood Helped Matt Damon Improve As An Actor
Matt Damon has always looked up to Clint Eastwood. The pair have collaborated on two projects, Invictus and Hereafter, and they have always proved to be in good partnership. In fact, the Oppenheimer star revealed via Orange County Register that he became a better actor because of Eastwood:
“It’s hard to explain how somebody makes you better. It’s just the way you feel. I suppose part of it is because Clint is so good in creating a relaxed atmosphere. And his crew is experienced. They know what they’re doing. They help to make you better, too.”
Hopefully, fans will see more projects from Eastwood and Damon. In the meantime, Invictus is available to stream via HBO and Apple TV.
