The Last Duel: Jodie Comer and Matt Damon Talk Working With Ridley Scott

The Last Duel is being released this weekend and will feature the long-awaited reunion of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who penned the script together alongside Nicole Holofcener, making it their first writing project since Good Will Hunting. Damon and Affleck star in the movie alongside Jodie Comer and Adam Driver, and it currently has an 88% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes after 60 reviews. The Last Duel was helmed by Ridley Scott, who is known for directing Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, and more. Recently, ComicBook.com took part in a press conference for The Last Duel, and Damon and Comer both spoke about working with the iconic director. 

“I mean, well, for me, it’s like when a script comes from Ridley Scott, and he wants to meet you…,” Comer replied when asked about what it was like working with Scott. “Yeah. Pretty easy,” Damon replied. Comer added with a laugh, “You’re like, ‘Yes. I will.’  You know, and then I read the script and I was so fascinated by the structure of it and this idea of there being three perspectives but, ultimately, only one truth. And then, I remember when I met Matt early on and Matt was like, ‘You should know, [Scott] works at a pace. Like, he has four or five cameras rolling. It’s fast.’ You know, he kind of gave me a little heads up.”

Comer continued, “And then I got to set, and I was like, ‘Oh, no kidding.’ Like, this is, you know, I’ve never worked like this before. It was just really fascinating to see how he makes his decisions, you know? His attention to detail, whether it be through the characters in the story or the locations, and the set design, he doesn’t miss a trick. You know, and the film has a lot of heart. But it also has the, you know, it’s a spectacle. And it has the fighting and the duels, and I think it’s what he’s so great at.” 

“From the moment I saw the cover of the book, I was, you know, ‘The Last Duel,’” Damon added. “And Ridley’s first movie, obviously, is, The Duelist. And I’d been looking for something ’cause we did The Martian together six or seven years ago. And I just had the best time working with him.  And partly, it’s what Jodie’s saying. Like, the four cameras at a time. Like, the amount of momentum that you get…” Jodie concluded, “And presence.  ‘Cause he’s so present.”

The Last Duel is based on Eric Jager’s book of the same name and follows two knights, Jean de Carrouges (Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Driver), in 14th-century France who are set to duel to the death after a conflict concerning de Carrouges’ wife (Comer). The movie will be released in theaters on October 15th.