Matt Damon’s Unforgiven Rift: The Margaret Film Fiasco
Matt Damon opens up about the chaos behind Kenneth Lonergan’s Margaret, revealing years of legal wrangling, studio disputes, and personal loyalty that nearly derailed the film.
When even the combined influence of Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker cannot rescue a production, one might assume it is beyond saving. Matt Damon, however, was not prepared to give up so easily. He spent years entangled in a web of production headaches, legal disputes, and behind-the-scenes drama, all in the name of supporting a friend. Damon has long been known for standing by those closest to him—whether it was he and Ben Affleck’s determined rise with Good Will Hunting, his unwavering praise for Casey Affleck, or his readiness to appear in any project helmed by Steven Soderbergh.
Among Damon’s trusted circle is Kenneth Lonergan, a filmmaker he befriended in the early 2000s. Their friendship quickly deepened, and when Lonergan needed someone willing to take a modest role as Aaron Caije in his second feature, Margaret, Damon was the obvious choice. Filming wrapped up before 2006, yet the film would not reach audiences until 2011.
Studio Clashes and Legal Tangles
In the years between, Lonergan and the studio found themselves at odds over the film’s duration and final version. The situation escalated to such an extent that Scorsese and Schoonmaker were enlisted to mediate, but even their efforts failed to satisfy producer Gary Gilbert. The matter soon spiralled into litigation: Fox Searchlight accused Gilbert and Camelot Pictures of failing to cover half the production costs as agreed, while Gilbert’s side countered with claims that both Searchlight and Lonergan had deliberately undermined his attempts to complete the project, alleging the result was “a clearly inferior and unmarketable film.”
Amidst this turmoil, reports surfaced that Lonergan had borrowed a substantial sum from Matthew Broderick to finish his preferred cut. Damon, meanwhile, found himself drawn into the legal fray, ultimately being deposed. He was forced to watch events unfold from the sidelines until his own day in court arrived, struggling to comprehend the ordeal his friend was enduring.
Personal Involvement and Frustration
“I knew it was in trouble, and I was talking to him a lot through all of that,”
Damon recalled in conversation with Bright Wall/Dark Room.
“And I was definitely involved in the whole thing. I mean, it was a real mess. I just remember back in 2008 spending hours and hours on the phone with Fox Searchlight and a lot of email exchanges back and forth and all that. And then the whole regime at Searchlight changed, and a whole new regime came on, and this all went on for years.”
He even attempted to bypass the studio hierarchy by appealing directly to Tom Rothman, the company’s founder and, as Damon put it, “an old friend of mine.” This, too, proved fruitless.
“The whole thing was completely nuts.”
The studio head was also deposed, and, as Damon described,
“eventually it was a big ugly lawsuit.”
Aftermath and Lingering Resentment
Margaret did eventually see release, though not in the form Lonergan had envisioned. The final cut ran to 156 minutes—half an hour shorter than the director’s preference. Since then, Damon has appeared in nearly forty films and documentaries as an actor, voice artist, or producer, yet none have involved Fox Searchlight or its successor, Searchlight Pictures. That, perhaps, speaks volumes in itself.