Many Hollywood actors described their experience working with director Clint Eastwood as a challenging, albeit enlightening, task. For example, Tom Hanks, who starred in Eastwood's Sully, said that the legendary filmmaker would not say 'cut' but would rather use more subtle cues to let the actors know that he got what he wanted from them in a particular scene. The latest to share a similar sentiment is Matt Damon, who starred in Eastwood's 2009 film Invictus. Speaking on the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Damon said that Eastwood rejected his request for further takes after his first take on the first day of shoot for the film. Damon revealed that he spent considerable time with a dialect coach perfecting the South African accent for his rugby player character, for which he earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. "It was a lot of work," the actor said about his work with the coach.

So much so, by the time the first shot came by, Damon was all prepared to nail the role, something which Eastwood is known to appreciate. Calling Eastwood one of his "heroes," Damon said that he envisioned some alternatives for the scene before the filmmaker okayed the first take itself. When Damon told him about his desire for more takes, Eastwood declined it, saying, "'Why? You wanna waste everybody’s time?'"

Damon eventually agreed with the filmmaker to proceed to the next scene. Despite Eastwood's blunt approach, the actor still had a liking for the legendary filmmaker. Describing Eastwood as a "lovely" person, he revealed that the filmmaker's rejected his request with a sense of "kindness" while filming Invictus. "His whole mentality was… your crew will go to the ends of the Earth for you if as long as you’re not taxing them on every shot," Damon shared.