There’s an ensemble scene at the end of Ben Affleck’s shoe-centric saga, “Air,” in which the main cast members, including Affleck as Nike founder Phil Knight, are sitting at a table in the living room. of meetings as rookie Michael Jordan decides whether to sign with the underdog shoe company. .
“You know the story, you know Michael Jordan, you know how it ends,” Affleck tells The Envelope about building drama into a scene whose outcome everyone already knows. “They better learn information that is new and somewhat interesting or that has to be genuinely fun. And everything has to be rooted in reality.”
The turning point comes when Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, played by Matt Damon, addresses Jordan directly. “A shoe is just a shoe until someone puts it on and then it has meaning. The rest of us just want the chance to touch that greatness. We need you in these shoes not so that you have meaning in your life, so that we have meaning in ours. Everyone at this table will be forgotten as soon as our time here is up, except you. You will be remembered forever, because some things are eternal. You are Michael Jordan and your story will make us want to fly.”
The monologue, which became even more famous after Donald Trump used it without permission in an ad for his 2024 presidential bid, was written by screenwriter Alex Convery, but rewritten by Affleck and Damon to reflect the price of fame. It’s part of the process for Affleck, a two-time Oscar winner, who welcomes dialogue contributions from all members of his cast, including Viola Davis, Chris Tucker and Jason Bateman.
“Writing is creating the word, but it really is an acting process, especially with great actors. The way I gained trust on this movie was by having an editorial on set,” offers Affleck, who invited his editor, William Goldenberg, to set up scenes for the actors to observe before moving on. “I think everyone found a great place to be, and I think that’s because they were able to see the movie while they were filming it.”
Oscar winner for “Argo” and veteran editor of films like “Darkest Night,” “Heat” and “The Imitation Game,” Goldenberg had no qualms about letting so many cooks into the kitchen. “I don’t normally know actors, so in that sense it was fun,” he says. “Ben and I have worked together for a long time. I know his sensitivity, he knows mine, so we have developed a shorthand together.”
As lifelong friends, Affleck and Damon last appeared together in Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel.” But “Air” represents a creative collaboration between them not seen since the beginning of their careers on their smash hit, “Good Will Hunting.”
Ben Affleck as Phil Knight in “Air.”
(Amazon Studios)
“The person who ends up with the strongest opinion tends to win,” Affleck says of the on-set differences between him and Damon. “I have respect for him and I think there is a reason why he feels so strongly. The fights are about who cares more about this. The interesting thing about Matt is that I have to earn his respect like he would any other actor. He doesn’t want to be in a bad movie. He’s not doing me any favors. And I wouldn’t expect him to treat this any differently.”
Their largest collaboration to date is Artists Equity, a new production company formed with RedBird Capital’s Gerry Cardinale. By employing an innovative business model, they aim to streamline the production process and partner with creators who will share in the commercial success of the projects. “Air” is the company’s first production, with a pair of future projects in the works: “The Instigators,” starring Damon, Casey Affleck and directed by Doug Liman, and “Small Things Like These,” directed by Tim Mielants and produced by Cillian. Murphy, who leads a cast starring Ciarán Hinds and Emily Watson.
“It’s very director-based, it’s very rooted in treating people fairly and reflecting what people bring to the project,” Affleck says of Artists Equity, mentioning another project: “Unstoppable,” Goldenberg’s directorial debut , currently in production.
Film editor William Goldenberg will make his directorial debut this year with “Unstoppable,” starring Jennifer Lopez. “It’s extraordinary to work with her,” he says.
(Amazon Studios)
“There just happens to be a phenomenal role for Jennifer,” Goldenberg notes, mentioning Affleck’s wife, Jennifer Lopez, who plays the mother of Anthony Robles, a three-time All-American wrestler born with only one leg. “It is extraordinary to work with her. She is a consummate professional and is very helpful to me as a first-time director, whether blocking or making small changes to the script or ideas for her character.”
Affleck has had trouble in the past, working with Lopez on “Gigli,” a 2003 romantic comedy that was panned and a box office flop. But that didn’t stop him from producing “Unstoppable,” although he won’t appear in the film.
“With Jen, it was more like she came home and talked about her day and how it was going. And secretly I try to inform myself about the newspapers,” she says. “I work with my wife the same way I work with Matt or any other actor on a movie. “Everything is geared around respecting the contribution of these incredible artists and what they bring to the table, and giving them the environment and space to do their best things.”
Reflecting on his Oscar wins (in 1998 for the screenplay of “Good Will Hunting,” which he co-wrote with Damon, and in 2013 for the best picture winner “Argo,” which he produced and directed), Affleck notes that such honors can change your work life but not your inner life.
“I won the Oscar when I was very young,” he says. “I appreciated how meaningful it was and it really changed my career. My life changed overnight. Before and after that show, my life was never the same. And the second time, I went through a lot and managed to be all over the place in terms of ups and downs, and it was good for me to be affirmed as a director. But one of the things he told me was that it doesn’t make you feel better or different. Many people go through depression because they discover what they thought their whole life was significant and they discover that “this doesn’t change anything about how I feel.” “
