Matt Damon Was ‘Traumatized’ and Shaken After Seeing Ben Affleck on the Sets of ‘Gone Girl’

In an intriguing revelation, Matt Damon claimed to have once visited the set of Gone Girl, only to get a disturbing experience back then. The movie starring Damon's long-known friend Ben Affleck had left the actor more than just inspired—it left him "traumatized."

The culprit behind Damon's unexpected distress? None other than the acclaimed director David Fincher's relentless pursuit of perfection, per The Things. Fincher's quest for cinematic excellence sometimes leads to extended shoots and an energy-draining atmosphere on set. Damon's day on the Gone Girl set became a firsthand experience of Fincher's perfectionism, as he struggled to process what unfolded before his eyes.

The particular scene that Damon observed involved Affleck and co-star Rosamund Pike in a seemingly straightforward shot. However, Fincher's sharp eye for detail picked up on a background actor's unnatural walk before the scene even commenced. This minor detail sent Fincher into a monologue, expressing his dissatisfaction and disrupting the take before the main actors had a chance to perform.

As Damon recounted the incident, he revealed, "Ben and Rosamund enter the bookstore and the scene’s about to start, but Fincher is already monologuing," adding that Fincher's focus on the background actor's walk was intense.

Damon acknowledged Fincher's precision in identifying the less-than-natural walk but expressed how the director's perfectionism, aggravated by this small detail, "ruined the whole thing for him." What might have been a quick shot turned into a prolonged ordeal due to Fincher's commitment to achieving the utmost perfection in every frame?

Damon noted that a less perfectionist-prone director might have allowed the scene to unfold, exploring the potential gems that could arise from the take. However, Fincher's insistence on flawlessness prevailed, leaving Damon in a state of shock.

Adding to the complexity of the scene, Affleck's character, embroiled in a web of role-playing and complex emotions, stirred Damon's unease. Gone Girl, a film that shifts back and forth in time and unfolds from both Nick and Amy's perspectives, demanded a nuanced portrayal. 

Meanwhile, during an episode of Strike Force Five Jimmy Kimmel revealed that his longtime friends Affleck and Damon offered to pay his staff's salaries during the ongoing writers’ strike. "Ben Affleck and the despicable Matt Damon contacted me and offered to pay our staff for two weeks," Kimmel said. "A week each, they wanted to pay out of their own pockets our staff,” the late-night host said of the Good Will Hunting stars.

However, Kimmel said he turned down their generous offer saying, “I felt that that was not their responsibility." As per People, Kimmel also shared during the podcast episode that he was ready to retire in the wake of the WGA strike in May, “I was very intent on retiring right around the time where the strike started,” Kimmel said. “And now I realize, oh yeah, it’s kind of nice to work. When you are working you think about not working,” he added.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on November 11, 2023. It has since been updated.