National Ledger - Steven Soderbergh: Director Lauds Matt Damon for "Big" Performance

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Share This \| Related Steven Soderbergh: Director Lauds Matt Damon for "Big" Performance
By Philipa Bourke Oct 23, 2009

A Hollywood director has hailed Matt Damon for being easy to work with. Steven Soderbergh, best known for Sex, Lies and Videotape, said he needed an actor who was fast on his feet for the upcoming comic thriller The Informant!

Director Lauds Matt Damon for "Big" Performance (Image: Splash News)

He said Damon, whom he directed in Ocean's Eleven, was an instant choice for a part that required a substantial weight gain.

"In this case, having worked with him was a huge benefit because we had to move so quickly. It was such an odd story and it required a certain kind of performance," Soderbergh said at the movie's London premiere.

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"I think an actor I'd never worked with before - if they showed up and saw on the call sheet that they had to do eight pages that day - that they might be a little upset, whereas Matt knows that's just the way we work. There's no question that our history helped make this a smooth operation."

Damon piled on an astonishing 30 pounds for the part of whistleblower Mark Whitacre. Soderbergh says Damon reveled in the transformation.

"He puts on 30 pounds, he puts on the fake hair, the mustache, the glasses and the suit - you don't really have to do much more than thinking about your character when physically you feel and look like that. So I think he really had fun doing it - he looked like he had fun."

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