The director Matt Damon pulled back from the brink: “There was no way that experience could be replicated”
In 2011, director Kenneth Lonergan was in a dark place. His movie Margaret had just been released, but only after years of turbulence behind the scenes. Initial issues arose over the film’s length; Lonergan wanted it to be over three hours long, but 20th Century Fox imposed a hard limit. Not even an intervention from Martin Scorsese could save the day.
There was also a debate over production costs that resulted in lawsuits and counter-suits, some of which Lonergan was involved in. When the movie finally saw the light of day, he was exhausted, wrung out from all the squabbling that had delayed his picture for six long years. He didn’t know if he would ever direct again, until one of the stars of Margaret came to him with an idea.
Lonergan spoke about his feelings on Margaret to ScreenDaily in 2016. “I was tired after the whole Margaret ordeal,” he said. “But I also felt, eventually, the film did get made and seen.” This spark of hope was later fanned by Matt Damon, who had appeared as a maths teacher in the psychological drama. He and John Krasinki approached Lonergan with the idea for a new project: the story of a man struggling with depression who is forced to take care of his dead brother’s son against the backdrop of a Massachusetts fishing town. This idea would eventually become Manchester by the Sea.
“I was just going to write it and John was going to be in it and Matt was going to direct,” said Lonergan. “Then Matt was going to be in it and direct and then Matt was just going to be in it and I was going to direct. And then Matt couldn’t do it.”
Eventually, Casey Affleck ended up taking the lead role, and reluctantly, Lonergan agreed to helm it as his third feature film. His experiences with Margaret may have scarred him somewhat, but Lonergan wasn’t too worried about history repeating itself. “There was no way that experience could be repeated with the editing and the arguing and the lawsuits, all that shit,” he assured himself. “There was no way that was going to happen twice, so I wasn’t too worried about that.”
Manchester by the Sea turned out to be a great decision for all involved. Upon its release in 2016, it garnered near-universal praise for its nuanced handling of grief and PTSD, its beautiful visuals of New England, and its powerhouse performances. For his role as Lee, the central character, Affleck scooped numerous prestigious awards, including the Oscar for ‘Best Actor’. Lonergan also picked up his first Academy Award as the writer of that year’s ‘Best Original Screenplay’.
With the power of hindsight, Lonergan is very happy that he chose to take on this movie. “I’m glad Matt encouraged me to direct [Manchester By The Sea] because I was resistant,” he said. “Not because I thought anything bad would happen but I was just tired. Ultimately it was a really good decision.” Even the whole Margaret situation worked out, as following initially mixed reviews, the movie has been reappraised as one of the best of recent times.
