Name: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck reveal how The Rip was shaped
Uploaded: 2026-01-21T15:12:25.427Z
Duration: 5 min 48 s
Description: Director Joe Carnahan used some curious audio as a tool for his stars.

Director Joe Carnahan used some curious audio as a tool for his stars.

In a recent interview, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck discussed how music played a pivotal role in the creation of their film 'The Rip'. Damon shared that he listened to Ludwig Goransson's 'Oppenheimer' soundtrack while writing, hoping its energy would inspire his own work. The filmmakers also revealed a unique moment at the end of the movie, where the actors' real family members provided off-screen voices to elicit genuine emotional reactions.

Director Joe contributed to the film's intense atmosphere by playing soundtracks from movies like 'Heat' on set, helping actors tune into the intended emotional frequency. Both Damon and Affleck emphasized that music is a common tool for actors to access emotions, and that the right soundtrack can deepen the audience's connection to a scene, making music an often underrated but essential element of filmmaking.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck reveal how 'The Rip' was shaped

It's just so intense and there's this high level, this high caliber of tension throughout the film. And I'm curious for you writing it, I know a lot of filmmakers say that like, oh, when I was writing it, I was listening to that, I was listening to this. Do you listen to like pump up songs while you're writing something like this? You know, it's funny, because you know what I listened to almost on a loop was Ludwig Goransson's Oppenheimer soundtrack. I don't know why, but I love that movie and I love that soundtrack. Maybe it's because the movie's about quantum mechanics and I'm an idiot. And I was hoping some part of that would synthesize with the dull parts of my brain and fire them up. But so funny, I haven't told the story yet, but at the end of the movie, I got all of Ben and Matt's closest people to them, their mothers, their kids to yell Jackie. So when they were sitting there, when you see them react, that's when they heard their kids say Jackie. Yeah, that's true. It's kind of a, supposed to be a bit of a magical moment without spoiling, you know, anything. Kind of speaks to the fine line of it. I remember in an acting textbook talking about sense memory. And one of the interesting things that it said was, we often associate feelings with our memories, but they're not placed sort of front and center. Imagine you have an illness in your family when you're young, which is an obvious example, like say a parent dies, right? And you remember as a child, like one would think, oh, I'll remember my mom's passing. And actually that doesn't often inculcate, bring those feelings to you. And the book was saying, and I think it's true, that often like we put them in certain places, like, oh, but I remember the balloon that was tied to a chair. And then all of a sudden, Trigger objects. You'll have that feeling, which is why, you know, it's a tricky thing to try to guess at what someone else might, it might be a trigger object for somebody else, because it tends to not be obvious. Joe really wants to help, right? And create that. But sometimes if you strike, it's sort of like saying exactly what you think as a line somehow doesn't land as often as doing it more obliquely. But, because in that case, it was almost more distracting to be like, wait a minute, you know? Is that my mom? Yeah, mom. Yeah, I'm all right. You don't want to conjure up those memories. I remember the first voice that I remember hearing was your mom. Yeah. You know, that's a voice that like would wake us up. Like if I was- That was like am I in trouble? Yeah, literally. Like what happened? What did I do? Joe did a really good job of kind of setting the, kind of the energy of what the scene was, the mood of the scene. And so he would be playing soundtracks from films like Heat and film, you know, so you would walk on set and you would hear this kind of booming sound and it really does kind of set you in the kind of, the head space. It's a really expedient way to establish like, this is the tone, this is what it's going to feel like when you're sitting in the theater. It kind of lets you tune in to that frequency. You know, music has a really interesting way of kind of getting around the front brain and getting right into a feeling or an emotion and a tone. And it's, I think it's a really good tool. He just wanted everyone to have that kind of energy. So we, I think we, I didn't need a song that would make me feel like that, but Joe would just like- Is there a sound that moment for you where you were like, yes, this song. Or was it a lot of like- No, they were great songs. I mean, like there was a fire and he would just put something, a song related to the fire. It was funny, but it was good. It made everyone- Excited. Excited and yeah, energetic. Must've been really challenging for you because for so much of the film, your character is like kind of shackled and forced to be sitting down. Yes. So like, how do you keep your energy up in that situation? I just think the environment in itself, because it's moving so fast and everyone around is, you know, of such amazing caliber, you're kind of just awake, you know. She still listens to that. I mean, music, you were there. But I also listened to everyone. Like even in the moments that weren't for me, I was, I just wanted to be a sponge. You know, I wanted to hear everyone hear. It was interesting, it was fun when they were cutting back and forth between us. You know what I'm talking about? When I'm handcuffed. And it was fun to watch the cuts because I hadn't seen it when we filmed it. I'm like, oh, that's really cool. But yeah, I was just happy to be there. Is there a song that for you, when you need to be pumped up for, whether it's a scene or just something in life that you're taking on, like I need to feel my full chested self. Is there a song that you tap to? I think it changes. It changes over the years. Sometimes, I don't know if it's like this for you, but music for me, sometimes I hear something and I just, I am just inspired by it. And I can't, and that's my song for like that week, like that. And then it kind of runs its course and it gets replaced by another one. And by the way, if there's like a most common tool that I've seen used by actors is music. Like it's not uncommon at all, particularly if a scene, you know, involves something, you know, where it's just an added emotion to see an actor show up and kind of have their headsets on. And you already know, okay, they're listening to their song, they're doing their thing. It just happened in a movie I just did and it's, actors get it and they kind of respect it and you sort of let them do their thing. And then, you know, okay, they're ready to go. They'll take their headphones off. But like, and I think again, it speaks to what we were talking about earlier of that like purely emotional connection that music has. It's this really wonderful art form and it really helped. The music in movies is probably one of the most underrated aspects of what makes that art form touch people. It's all, the right music just enriches the emotionality. You can't get blood from a stone, but you can really deepen it by sending a kind of a signal to the audience. Because I think that the audience sort of views music as the truth. Like that's what's really happening here. The people are doing various versions of how they're coping with it, but the music kind of fixes you into, you know, this is sort of the essence of this scene.

President Trump spoke at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, addressing European allies as tensions rise over his Greenland demands. Mr. Trump demanded immediate negotiations to acquire the territory and claimed he wouldn't use force. Ed O'Keefe reports.

Davos

Trump vows he 'won't use force' to acquire Greenland

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, the US president described the self-governing Danish territory as a “piece of ice” that is “part of North America.”

Trump vows not to use force to acquire Greenland

Steve Witkoff says he and Jared Kushner will holds talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday.

Moscow

U.S. special envoy to discuss peace in Ukraine with Russian president

Brooklyn Beckham, the oldest son of David and Victoria Beckham, accused his parents in a social media statement of trying to undermine his marriage and of valuing "public promotion" over family. David Beckham acknowledged the allegations and responded, saying, "they make mistakes. Children are allowed to make mistakes." Adriana Diaz has more.

David Beckham responds as son accuses parents of prioritising image

Authorities dismantled 24 industrial-scale labs and seized around 1,000 tonnes of chemicals used to make street drugs such as MDMA, amphetamine and meth.

Brussels

Europe police seize 1,000 tonnes of chemicals in record drugs bust

Stocks plunged on the first day of trading after President Trump threatened tariffs against European nations that oppose his bid to acquire Greenland. Lauren Hirsch, a New York Times reporter, joins CBS News with more.

Washington

Stocks plunge as global concerns about Trump tariffs over Greenland grows

Prince Harry is testifying in London in a case against a British tabloid for news coverage he says went too far. Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley and several other high-profile people have joined the prince in his civil suit for violations of privacy.

London

Prince Harry testifies in latest lawsuit against British tabloid

President Trump's Greenland demands have already had a negative impact on the economy in the U.S. On Tuesday, all three major U.S. stock indexes dropped over the threat of new tariffs. CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger explains what to know.

U.S. stocks sink amid Trump's new tariff threats

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will join US President Trump's so-called 'board of peace' for Gaza.

Jerusalem

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu joins Trump’s ‘board of peace’ for Gaza

South Korea's Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was indicted for failing to prevent and abetting Yoon's martial law declaration.

Seoul

Ex-South Korean PM Han Duck-soo found guilty of action of insurrection

The man who admitted to killing Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 is sentenced to life in prison.

Tokyo

Man who killed Japan's former PM sentenced to life in prison

Bobi Wine, who is currently in hiding, has alleged widespread fraud during the vote that saw incumbent President Yoweri Museveni win a seventh term in office.

Kampala

Uganda's military chief gives opposition leader 48 hours to surrender

A Barcelona commuter train crashed after a retaining wall fell onto the tracks, killing at least one person and injuring 37 others. The crash in Catalonia came just two days after a separate deadly train collision killed at least 42 people in the country's south and injured dozens more.

Barcelona

One killed in Barcelona train crash, days after Adamuz collision

Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, Israel has sought to ban UNRWA over alleged ties to Hamas, claims the UN denies. DW visited the site as Israeli forces bulldozed the UN agency's compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

Middle East Conflict

Israel demolishes UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem

Global stocks fell after U.S. President Donald Trump made new threats to take Greenland by force during a long press conference. Asked how far he’d go, Trump replied, ‘You’ll find out.’ The threats came just hours after he shared an AI-generated image of both Canada and Greenland covered in the U.S. flag.

Greenland Stand-Off

Markets plunge, allies rattled after Trump's new Greenland threats

The Syrian government has announced a four-day ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, following renewed fighting in the north. The SDF says it will abide by the truce. The government says the ceasefire will give time for the SDF to find ways to integrate the northeastern province of Hasakah.

Damascus

Four day ceasefire announced in Syria, Hasakah future to be discussed

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said the European Union should not bend to 'the law of the strongest.' He told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that it was staggering that the EU was having to contemplate using its 'anti-coercion instrument' against the U.S. (Macron is wearing dark glasses because of an eye condition.)

Paris

France's Macron says EU shouldn't bend to 'law of the strongest'

France's Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump have long exchanged firm handshakes, but their relationship is showing cracks. In a striking break from diplomatic norms, Trump publicly shared what he called a private message from Macron – proposing a G7 meeting in Paris and discussing Syria, Iran, and Greenland.

Trump publishes Macron's message, threatens French wine tariffs

The death toll from Sunday's high-speed train collision in Spain has risen to 41 as recovery crews use cranes to lift up the train cars and look for victims underneath. Chris Livesay reports on the search for a cause of the crash.

Adamuz

Investigators search for cause of deadly Spain train crash

Valentino, the renowned Italian fashion designer who proudly boasted he "knows what women want" has died in Rome. His sumptuous creations saw him crowned the king of the red carpet for major celebrities needing to be dressed to impress.

Rome

Valentino, 'The Last Emperor' of Italian fashion dies aged 93

The "Board of Peace" was an idea initially proposed by Trump last September as part of his plan to end the war in Gaza, although the initiative now seems to be aimed at mediating global conflicts more broadly.

Global Tariffs

Trump threatens 200% tariffs on French wine over ‘Board of Peace’

People who joined antigovernment protests in Iran are given a three-day deadline to turn themselves in and face a more lenient sentence.

Tehran

Iran police give protesters three days to surrender for leniency

Some 3,000 federal agents are still in the Twin Cities area as President Trump is threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act over continued protests against immigration operations there. Ian Lee reports.

Minnesota

ICE operations, protests continue in Twin Cities as Trump threatens

President Trump continued his push for the U.S. to take over Greenland, telling the prime minister of Norway his perceived snub for the Nobel Peace Prize meant he no longer feels obligated to "think only of peace." The prize is awarded by the private Nobel Institute, not the Norwegian government. Ed O'Keefe has more, and then Holly Williams joins with analysis.

Trump ties Greenland threat to perceived Nobel Peace Prize snub

Valentino Garavani, founder and namesake of the luxury fashion empire Valentino, has died at 93. Garavani was known for a trademarked shade of red, a staple at his fashion shows for nearly half a century.

Iconic fashion designer Valentino Garavani dead at 93

Experts studying the cause of the derailment of a high-speed train in Spain - which killed dozens of people - found a broken joint on the rails, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation.

Investigators find broken joint on track at Spanish rail crash site

Prince Harry is back in a London court, along with a slew of other high-profile figures, fighting the publisher of the Daily Mail over invasion of privacy and illegal information gathering tactics.

Prince Harry back in London court fighting British tabloids

U.S. President Donald Trump has told Norway's prime minister in a letter that he no longer feels obligated "to think purely of Peace" because he had not been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and he repeated his demand for control of Greenland.

Trump tells Norway he no longer feels obligated to think only of peace

Billionaire wealth surged at three times ‍its recent pace ​last year to reach its highest level on record, deepening economic and political divides that threaten democratic ⁠stability, anti-poverty group Oxfam said.

World billionaire wealth hits new peak amid rising poverty, Oxfam says

A high-speed train collision that caused a derailment in southern Spain has killed at least 39 people, officials say. Investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash.

Breakdown