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Casey Affleck attended the New York premiere of his new heist comedy “The Instigators” on Wednesday.
Extra’s Mona Kosar Abdi spoke with Casey, who raved about working with longtime friend Matt Damon.
Casey praised Matt, saying, “He’s a great actor, whether we’re friends or not. Any movie he’s in is going to be great, but this one is because of him. I love him so much and it’s really fun to spend time with him.”
Though they’re good friends in real life, the characters in “The Instigators” have a love-hate relationship.
Casey, who also wrote the film’s screenplay, noted that becoming friends with Matt made the collaboration easier: “I’m very forthright with him,” he says. “In our little circle, we don’t hold back a lot.”
He also praised director Doug Liman for creating a great atmosphere on set.
“I didn’t know Doug before this,” Casey commented. “I knew his history: The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, All These Great Movies… I knew he would make a great movie, fun, fast-paced. I didn’t know his personality, but he definitely set the tone. I’d known Matt for a long time, but Doug was there to have a good time and was very generous. All kinds of pranks were happening, there were ping pong tournaments, everyone was laughing. I felt really lucky to be there. I kept waiting for them to take my place, but I made it to the end.”
Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was in attendance at the premiere as he has a cameo in the film, but was Tom Brady invited?
Casey replied, “Tom may have been called, but he didn’t show up.” He smiled and said, “He’s probably busy and getting a lot of calls.”
The Instigators will be released in select theaters on August 2nd and will be available on AppleTV+ on August 9th.