LOS ANGELES — Stock up on surgical masks and rubber gloves. When you see the new Matt Damon movie “Contagion,” I promise that you won’t want to touch anyone or anything. The film follows the spread of a virus from China all over the world, including the Chicago area, where much of the movie was shot.
I talked to Damon recently and asked him what he remembers most about the winter shoot in Chicago last year.
A: I’ve never felt cold like I did (there). I was only there for two weeks, but the production was there for longer because all of Laurence’s (Fishburne) stuff was also done in Chicago. Chicago worked for us as Chicago and also as Minnesota, which is where my story line is supposed to take place. We went out to Winnetka and Wilmette and Elgin, among other locations. We kind of shot around there for the “Minnesota” stuff. In fact I got a text from my roommate from college whose nephews were at that school in Winnetka where we shot, but I didn’t get it until after we already left that location.
Q: You do realize that this movie is going to make everyone paranoid about germs and touching anything, right?
A: When Steven (Soderbergh, the director) sent me the script, he attached a note that said, “Read this, then wash your hands.” We did talk about investing in Purell (laughs) … Seriously, for me leaving this experience, I probably do wash my hands more than I used to, but I’m raising my kids in New York so when we come back from anywhere, we always wash our hands. That’s just a part of life there.
Q: Was there a sense of delivering a message of social responsibility with this, or was it just another thriller?
A: Well, the science is actually very accurate, which is why it’s kind of terrifying. I think that’s one of the things we actually thought when we made the movie. My take-away was kind of about public health in general; that we do share these common spaces, and we do need to be more responsible. If my kid is sick, I can’t send my kid to school because I don’t want to get another kid in the class sick.
Q: All the buzz on the Internet is about Michael Moore wanting you to run for president. What can you tell me about that and how do you feel about it?
A: Yeah, I heard that too. It would never happen. I wouldn’t want to be a politician. I literally have no interest. There’s no chance I would ever do that. I love my job and I love my life, and I feel really lucky to be able to make movies. The only reason I get to make them is because people go to see them, so I’m going to keep making them as long as people keep going to see them.
Expenses paid for by Warner Bros. Pictures and WGN-TV. Watch my interviews 4 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday on WGN-Ch. 9 Morning News. My radio show airs 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on WGN-AM 720 and wgnradio.com. You can also go to wgntv.com/deanslist.