Horsing Around with 'True Grit' Star Matt Damon
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Matt Damon rides horseback in the Coen Brothers' highly anticipated remake of the classic western 'True Grit,' and the star tells ET that on the set his children "were far more interested in the horses than dad."
"My now-two-year-old, she would have been about 20 months at the time, she saw her first horse in the flesh and went up and touched it, and then got to sit on its back -- and literally didn't stop talking about it for about four or five months," reports the star.
In 'True Grit,' riding into theaters December 22, Jeff Bridges plays alcoholic U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn, who teams up with Matt's Texas Ranger LeBoeuf to help a stubborn 14-year-old girl (newcomer Hailee Steinfeld) track down her father's killer (Josh Brolin).
Matt says the 'True Grit' set was very family-friendly, and recalls that the Coen Brothers had their high school-aged kids working on the set during their spring break in the script and greens departments. He adds, as parents, "We were mindful of creating an environment that was nice for Hailee. … I wouldn't say anything's daunting for Hailee -- she seems to take everything in stride -- but, for any 13-year-old surrounded by adults, that could be a little bit daunting.
"If she ever needs to talk, I think that she's got a long line of adults who really care about her and her well-being who will be happy to talk to her," he continues, "because it's obviously a tricky business to be in at any age, particularly as a young teenager. But on the other hand, she has that confidence and that incredible poise, qualities that I really admired in her, and [I was like] wow, maybe I could learn something from her. She's pretty incredible."
Meanwhile, with buddy Ben Affleck in high demand as a director after helming the successful heist flick 'The Town,' Matt declares, "I would love [to be directed by him]. I'm trying to e-mail him constantly, trying to get a job. He's on the very top of my list of people that I would like to work with."
As for his own directing ambitions, the 40-year-old star says, "The minute I find [the right project] I'm going to go do it, but it's tricky with the first one because you kind of only have one chance to make a first impression, so I'm going to find a piece of material that I just love and then try not to screw it up too much."
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