Tom McCarthy on Matt Damon

One final note is just how instrumental Matt Damon was to the execution of this film. The entire cast is just terrific from Camille Cotton to Abigail Breslin and our secret weapon, Lilou Siauvaud. But it’s Matt’s central performance that anchors this film. There are few actors in the world that can bring their full persona and weight to a performance and still disappear in a role so completely. Once Matt was cast, I felt like I clearly understood Bill Baker and the profound journey, for all its complexities and ambiguities, that he was about to take. This film just would not work without him.