Matt Damon Had To Record The Best Part Of This Oscar-Nominated Performance Alone

This post contains Spoilers For “The Martian”.

“The Martian” culminates with a brave rescue mission after Dr. Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is accidentally left on the surface of Mars during a dust storm. Ridley Scott’s sci-fi adventure revolves around Watney’s stubborn determination to return home while battling near-impossible odds, where human perseverance and optimism emerge victorious in the face of adversity. At the end of Watney’s story, he is able to establish contact with NASA, prompting his crew to lead their own rescue mission. Commander Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) speaks to Watney and reassures him that help is on the way, and we see a mixture of emotions on Watney’s exhausted face: gratitude, anxious anticipation, relief, and a strange bittersweetness.

In an interview with GQ magazine, Damon broke down his most important roles, explaining that he performed the aforementioned scene alone, as every scene involving his co-stars had already been filmed at that point. While Watney was supposed to “break down” in a different scripted moment, neither Damon nor Scott thought it was natural, which is why Damon decided to this The pre-union scene was one that required a strong emotional reaction:

“We had shot some stuff with the other actors months before, but they all came home, and Ridley and I shot all those scenes, but just together, where it was just me in front of the camera. And all of a sudden, I hear in my helmet as the axle starts to twitch, as if this thing is going to take off, the light effects start to happen, and you really feel like you’re about to take off. Suddenly, I hear the voices of all these actors who were my friends. You know? It just occurred to me to think through what kind of filter this character is: He [Watney] “He hasn’t heard a sound in a year, and that these people made this sacrifice to come back for him.”

This makes sense, because Watney’s frantic communications with NASA had been purely digital (or signal-based) up until this point, which explains why he was overcome with emotion after hearing the voices of his crewmates. This is a truly cathartic moment for our hero, and we share his mixed emotions as the perilous rescue operation unfolds.

This isn’t the first time Damon has played a scientist stranded on an uncharted planet, as he also played the dastardly Dr. Mann in Interstellar. However, these roles differ greatly, as Watney’s altruistic outlook stands in stark contrast to Mann’s nihilistic view of humanity, and these differences directly impact their ultimate destinies. While Mann’s narrow-minded selfishness dooms him, Watney’s faith in humanity drives him to achieve the impossible, including the fact that he has managed to grow potatoes on Mars.

Furthermore, the failed Mars mission leaves us completely alone with Watney in extended sequences, used to document his game plan for survival. Video logs are used to chronicle each triumph and failure, as Watney uses a mixture of technical terms and easy-to-understand metaphors to convey the complexity of the situation at hand. Some of the science may seem inaccessible at times, but Watney’s enthusiasm shines through and makes his efforts seem deeply human. So, when Watney uses a complex hexadecimal system to communicate with NASA, we are not so much engaging in science, as the focus is on human responses, which underscores how we tend to respond as a species when asked to take responsibility for our unintended actions.

None of these emotional aspects would be as prominent without Damon’s thoughtful performance as Watney, who uses wit, humor, and vulnerability to overcome acute loneliness. He is able to endure this misery because he hopes to one day be reunited with his loved ones on Earth, which solidifies his decision to do so. Everything He can survive. Seeing his crew take great risks and come back just for him has a huge emotional impact on him – at this moment, he knows he’s in good hands, and that they’ll make sure he comes home.