Matt Damon put a hair tie on his tongue to perfect True Grit character’s voice

Any day that I get to watch a Matt Damon interview ends up being a good one, and this day is no exception. Damon showed MTV’s Josh Horowitz exactly how he perfected the gravelly lisp as his character LaBoeuf (pronounced La-Beef and no relation to Shia) on True Grit. He asked if anyone had a ponytail tie and then promptly put it on his tongue, explaining that it did hurt but that he was ok with it. (You can watch that part above, with more interview videos with Damon on MTV.com.)

After watching the trailers for True Grit, I’m pretty sure Damon only used a hair tie on his tongue when his character was chewing tobacco. (Horowitz says it’s the second half of the film, which I hope doesn’t reveal any spoilers.) Like he normally sounds like he’s doing a milder version of his Matthew McConaughey impression, but in scenes where he’s got a mouthful of snuff (1:10 into this video) he talks with that pronounced lisp. This movie looks so damn good, I’m really looking forward to it. It’s out in the US on December 22.

Horowitz also asked Damon about the future of the Bourne series, and he was vague about it. Damon said he didn’t know what was planned for the latest reboot, but had faith that it would be true to the spirit of the franchise. He also didn’t rule out reprising his role. “I do know that whatever [they’re] doing won’t preclude Paul [Greengrass] and I from coming back and doing ours.” Please let there be another Bourne – just one more is enough.

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Photos courtesy of All Movie Photos.

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21 Responses to “Matt Damon put a hair tie on his tongue to perfect True Grit character’s voice”

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  1. Jen D says:

    It’s not a big spoiler to say his voice is a bit muffled later on in the film, but it’s not because he’s chewing tobacco…

  2. guesty says:

    this is a bit off topic…but since he has on a cowboy hat & tied his tongue with a hair thingy…don’t you just hate it when they tie a race horses’ tongue down?

    it seems kinda cruel. tho trainers say it’s so the horse won’t swallow it & can get more oxygen. still it’s all hanging out on the side looking really uncomfortable & fug.

  3. Laura says:

    Wow, he looks sexxxy in those pics… *licking screen*

  4. Samigirl says:

    I just LOVE him. Cannot think of one negative thing to say about him! He never takes himself too seriously, and is always down for anything. He comes off so un-douchy, I’m always shocked he is one of Hollywood’s biggest actors! I literally LOL’ed when he said “bieber fever” btw. Hysterical 🙂

    edit:@guesty-my dads bff trains horses, and it really is the lesser of two evils. I don’t know if you have ever ridden a horse, but when they start going REALLY fast, they can, in fact, swallow their tongues. The mouth guards don’t help at all, either, so they really have no choice. I promise, an animal THAT big doesn’t hurt as easily as you and I.

  5. Abby says:

    love, love love him. And his matt mconaghay impression.

  6. guesty says:

    @samigirl…thxs for the info. 🙂 just love horses…love them.

    have friends & fam with horses & in the business…sure do know it’s for their own good.

    speaking of horse racing…elena dorfman did an exhibit called the pleasure park…here’s a link.
    awesome. click on images to get a glimpse.

    http://www.modernisminc.com/exhibitions/Elena_DORFMAN–The_Pleasure_Park/

  7. lisa says:

    Matt Damon is an idiot and so is his buddy, Ben.

  8. guesty says:

    EDIT: fyi…modernisminc link…nsfw.

  9. Louwho says:

    He is so adorable it hurts.

  10. REALIST says:

    Blech, what actors do for their craft! Even so, I think his character in “True Grit” is sooo sexy. I have been having damsel-in-distress fantasies: “Oh save me, Mr. Texas Ranger..”
    He must have sucked some pounds for this role-thank goodness. Let’s be sexist girl to guy and point out that Matt was becoming quite the chubster…

  11. Bill Hicks is God says:

    If it was a scrunchie then I might be impressed. I don’t mind Damon, at least he can act. The Coen brother’s casting choices are always beyond reproach. I’m interested to see how they use Josh Brolin.

  12. Johnny Depp's Girl says:

    I want to see this!! I think it will be a real good movie..

  13. MissyA says:

    I don’t know if it’s something that comes with age or location, or a malfunctioning ovary – but I’ve been loving the hell out of Cowboy/Western movies lately.

    Same goes with Matt Damon’s sex appeal. That sucker came out of nowhere for me, and now all I can think about is having hot, angry, standup sex with Will Hunting. He’s not even remotely my type – but he can be if he uses that hair tie right. *Shudder* Oh Matt. . .

  14. jayem says:

    Man, he’s even hot when he’s dressed like a hillbilly. Love him! I probably won’t see this until it’s on cable. I’d rather rewatch “All The Pretty Horses”. He is so gorgeous in that…

  15. original kate says:

    a hair tie on his tongue? kinky bastard.

  16. Crash2GO2 says:

    “a hair tie on his tongue? kinky bastard.”

    *snicker*

  17. lucy2 says:

    I’m not usually one for Westerns, but the film was excellent. Everyone was so good in it, hard to go wrong with that cast.
    I like Matt a lot too, I think he’s become an excellent actor and seems like he’s happy in his personal life.

  18. LittleDeadGirl says:

    Love westerns since I used to watch them with my dad when I was younger, I was the original True Grit, and I saw this one a few days ago and I have to say I loved it. I’m partial to them but yeah, everyone in the film does a great job … can’t think of one thing I’d change and Jeff Bridges’s character was amazing. Matt Damon did a great job bringing life to the character that I think was butchered a bit in the original movie … so yeah … go see if you like westerns.

  19. eva says:

    I didn’t want to see this movie. I hate westerns, but I couldn’t talk my husband into seeing anything else. I was so surprised! I ended up LOVING the movie. I am probably going to see it again. (very unusual for me)

    And I’m embarrassed to say that after seeing the movie , I find Matt Damon even sexier.

  20. Annabelle says:

    Does anyone else HATE that stupid “morning glory” advertisment in the top right corner? it takes over the whole page! annoying!

  21. samihami says:

    EXTREMELY well done movie-but that’s what I’ve come to expect from the Cohen brothers. I won’t spoil the reason for the tie around his tongue, but it has nothing to do with tobacco.

    I cannot think of one single flaw in this movie-casting was perfect, acting was perfect, even Josh Brolin–whom I DESPISE–was perfect. I have to give credit where it is due.