Full text transcript of the 'Gone Baby Gone' Unscripted with Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck

Full text transcript of the 'Gone Baby Gone' Unscripted with Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck

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Ben Affleck: Okay welcome to Moviefone's Unscripted. I'm Ben Affleck, this is Casey Affleck and were here to talk about our new movie 'Gone, Baby, Gone.' We're going to ask each other some of our own questions as well as some of your questions and I'll start with the first question. Was it more or less challenging to be directed by your big brother?

Casey Affleck: Thanks Denise. You know, I feel it wasn't any more or less challenging. It wasn't so different than a relationship with any other director to tell you the truth. If you've only known someone for a few weeks, that could be trying because you don't really speak the same language so much. You and I kinda ... we had a shorthand that helped us if nothing else than just save time. So I think we are very comfortable disagreeing and not feeling like anyone's ego was getting hurt so that made it easier I guess.

(Interview transcript continues below.)

Casey Affleck: When you set out to do this movie, did you know that you kinda wanted to shoot people who were ... didn't know they were being filmed, people who were around on the set or is that something that you discovered while making it?

Ben Affleck: It was part of the plan going into it was to try to do as much...create a sense of reality. A big part of it for me was if there is one thing I really feel confident about to kinda know what the real feeling of what Boston is. I wanted to infuse that on many different levels in terms of extras, small parts, wardrobe, locations and everything else. Initially it took a little work saying okay were just going to go into a location and whoever is there, were going to keep them there and put them in the movie or when we scout a location, we'll find the real people there and use them, go around in advance and film people. What we ended up getting was something that I was really thrilled with which was, we filmed people who were just around and who really lived there. Its the thing that's underneath the movie but really helps it. If we turn the camera on not necessarily say rolling and just be filming people and you'd be kinda acting among people in there who were non-professionals, just kinda existing in that world and it kinda broke down what is that really frustrating thing a lot of times where movies just feel so fake.


Casey Affleck: This is from Nicole in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Was it intimidating to direct such seasoned actors as Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman and Casey Affleck?

Ben Affleck: In that order. Yes it was. Those guys are intimidating and they are great actors and I've been fans of theirs for a long time. I had to kinda just take the leap and decide well I'm going to take a shot at this. It was to their credit that they made me feel comfortable really and it doesn't require a lot to get a great performance out of directing Morgan Freeman or Ed Harris. Much more than saying action.


Casey Affleck: And me?

Ben Affleck: Yes, Casey Affleck, yes. You have to say, "Action and go, Casey, go."


Casey Affleck: But I think its a testament to your talented skills as a director that they would even be willing to be apart of it because you had to talk to them and persuade them before they would agree and that meant that you had to at least sound like you knew what you were doing and you know because I didn't respect you as a director.

Ben Affleck: That much was clear.


Casey Affleck: When Morgan showed up and he was taking your direction, that for me was a turning point. I thought let me try doing this.

Ben Affleck: Your performance also changed right then too. When you did this movie, the end is kind of polarizing. You make a tough moral decision that leaves people arguing about whether or not you did the right thing. Do you think you are obligated to tell people as an actor "this is what I think, my character regretted it or didn't regret it" or do you think you should leave it up to the viewer?


Casey Affleck: Well I'm not obligated to say anything. I think the movie has done its job if its left the audience thinking about certain things or feeling certain things after its over and in the case of this movie, I'm not sure I would have done the same thing but I feel like the character made the right decision in the movie but that doesn't mean that he doesn't feel very conflicted about it afterwards and sometimes maybe regret the decision.

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