At its heart, The Last Duel, out in theaters today, is a story about believing women. It’s based on a true story of a high-ranking French official accused of rape in the 14th century, told from three different perspectives: the accused, the accuser, and the accuser’s husband.
The film was written by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Nicole Holofcener, and Affleck tells ABC News it’s a story he thinks most in the United States don’t know.
“We were totally like blown away by the story. We had no idea,” the Academy award winner recalls. “I know it’s a fairly well-known story still in France, because at the time it was the sort of, I don’t know what the equivalent would be, the O.J. Simpson case or something, a very famous person accused of a horrible crime,” he adds. “It was very sensational. And so, it even lingers to this day in the consciousness in France. But I’m pretty confident that it’s a story that is very unfamiliar to audiences here.”
Even though the story wasn’t necessarily a well-known one in the U.S., Jodie Comer, who plays the woman at its center, shares that she was “fascinated” at the idea of the film having three perspectives “but ultimately one truth,” which made the gig pretty easy to say “yes” to.
As if the film wasn’t already star-studded enough, Adam Driver appears and gets in a few scuffles with Damon, who says he enjoyed the bumps and bruises.
“It was really fun. It was really physical. And you know, and I had to try to keep up with Adam Driver. He’s a good deal younger than I am, and he’s very physically fit,” Damon admits. “So, there was that.”
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
