The Rip: Behind The Scenes With Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Director Joe Carnahan & More

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Be warned, this article contains spoilers for the new movie, The Rip! Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have teamed up again for a thrilling action movie on Netflix, and those involved say it was a fantastic experience. This marks the 15th time the Oscar-winning duo have worked together – they also produced the film through their production company, Artists Equity. The Rip follows a group of Miami narcotics officers who get a lead on a house full of cash. But as they move to seize the money, they begin to question everyone’s intentions.

I’m really excited about this new movie, The Rip! It’s got an incredible cast – alongside Ben Affleck and Damon, they’ve got actors like Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Catalina Moreno, Kyle Chandler, and Néstor Carbonell. Plus, Scott Adkins and Lina Esco are in it too! I’ve heard it’s directed by Joe Carnahan and people are already saying it’s super tense and the cast is amazing. Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 82% approval rating, which is awesome!

To celebrate the release of their new movie on Netflix, Liam Crowley from ScreenRant spoke with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Joe Carnahan, Sasha Calle, and Catalina Moreno about The Rip. When asked about working with Affleck and Damon, who both starred in and produced the film, Carnahan explained that he’d previously collaborated with Affleck on the 2006 action movie Smokin’ Aces and nearly worked with Damon on another project. This shared history created a sense of mutual respect between them.

Working with these filmmakers is great because they’re not only incredibly talented, but they also understand how to help a director succeed. They know how to provide support, deliver what’s needed to create something special, and, importantly, how to avoid getting in the way.

Carnahan described making The Rip as the most enjoyable experience of his career and his favorite film to date. He credited Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, particularly their approach to running Artists Equity, as a major reason why. He explained that Artists Equity prioritizes fair compensation, ensuring that funds are distributed to everyone on set – from the crew and caterers to the gaffer – and praised Affleck and Damon for leading the way in this kind of filmmaking.

Calle, who spent the first decade of her life in Boston, said working with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon was “absolutely a dream come true.” She described them as “legends” to people from her hometown, and praised their kindness, empowering nature, and leadership skills. She called working on The Rip an “honor” and was impressed by how well they led the production, noting she went into the project with no preconceived notions and was delighted by their leadership.

The Rip’s True Story Inspirations Made It A “Deeply Personal” Film For Everyone

ScreenRant asked: What qualities in a script make Artist Equity really want to produce a film – what makes a project stand out and feel like a must-make?

That’s a great question. I don’t think it’s about overthinking things. After reading and writing so many scripts, you start to rely on your gut feeling. If a script really grabs you and evokes a strong reaction, that’s a good sign. This script did that for us – it was incredibly tense and exciting. We were genuinely confused about who the characters were and what was going on, and that initial feeling of intrigue is what first drew us in.

ScreenRant: There’s a bit of a Departed flavor too, to it. Based on who knows who, who knows what.

That’s right. There are definite parallels. While the stories are based on real crimes, we definitely took some creative liberties. Being overly focused on strict accuracy can limit the drama, so we allowed ourselves to build on the true events and add to the narrative. I think that’s a really effective approach, and it worked well with the talented cast – giving them space to improvise and develop their characters, which was a great model set by Joe.

According to my research, this is the fifteenth time you’ve worked together, both as performers and producers.

Ben Affleck: We were extras in a number of movies together. So that’s a real resume filler.

I’ve actually been an extra in a couple of your movies. I was in ‘Glory Days,’ and I remember being a waiter in ‘The Sum of All Fears,’ the one you did with Morgan Freeman.

Oh, that’s right! We were actually extras in the movie Field of Dreams – Phil Alden Robinson directed that one, too.

ScreenRant: At this point, do you just have a shorthand? Do you feel like you’ve developed that?

Yeah, I think that’s how it is with any close friend. It just comes from having a lot of shared history and understanding. You don’t need to constantly explain things or remind them of past events.

Matt Damon explained that they often shared memories together, with Ben Affleck frequently referencing past experiences like, “Do you remember when we did that?” It felt like a natural way they connected.

ScreenRant: Got to see this film yesterday on the big screen, it took me for a thrill ride.

That’s fantastic! I’ve stopped watching the movie itself and now I focus on the audience’s reaction. Recently, I watched a screening with about 1200 people, and it was amazing – everyone was completely engrossed. After doing this for a while, you can tell when a movie really connects with viewers, and in that moment, I knew we’d succeeded.

Claire Folger/Netflix

ScreenRant asked about the show’s connection to real events, and wanted to know how the creators took the initial fictional story and developed it into the series, The Rip.

Many of the core details of the story stayed consistent. The initial sum of money involved was $24 million, and the victim wasn’t a young woman, but an older man. Similar to the movie’s plot, he told the robbers to take half the money and leave, believing the police wouldn’t care. This story is based on a tragic event in the life of my friend, Chris, whose son, Jay Casiano – the film is dedicated to – he lost. Chris graciously allowed me to use this deeply personal experience, and I wanted to create a lasting tribute to his son’s life. It was a way to help my friend cope with immense grief – the worst thing that can happen to a parent – and transform it into something meaningful that others could see and remember his son’s name. I showed the film to Chris about a month ago in Miami, and we both cried. He’s happy with how it turned out, and that’s what mattered most. We achieved what we set out to do.

ScreenRant asked about my character’s bond with the dog in the film and whether I formed a connection with the animal playing that role on set.

I really did try to connect with him, but unfortunately, I developed an allergy. He’s a wonderfully trained and much-loved dog – his owners clearly put a lot of work into him. Whenever I had to touch Wilberg, I’d break out in hives unless I washed my hands immediately afterward. It was a bit of a hassle, especially since I adore animals, but he was a great dog overall.

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2026-01-16 22:01