Jodie Comer reveals she got the giggles while filming a kissing scene for screenplay co-written by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Nicole Holofcener and directed by Ridley Scott, the film first premiered at the Venice Film Festival last month and has been hotly anticipated since it was given the green light in 2019. Alongside Damon, Comer, and Affleck, the film also stars Adam Driver and Harriet Walter.
The Last Duel deals directly with themes surrounding mistreatment and disempowerment of women, highlighting toxic masculinity and societal imbalance in those times. The story depicts the last official judicial duel fought in , between best friends Jean de Carrouges (Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), after Carrouges wife, Marguerite (Comer), accuses Le Gris of sexually assaulting her. The film is written from the perspective of each of the protagonists, with Holofcener being in charge of depicting Marguerite's point of view. Comer, who gained notable credit after her role as Villanelle in BBC's Killing Eve, has frequently spoken about the importance of telling female stories and the feminist voice that runs through the film.
During a recent press conference via 20th Century Studios, Comer talked about getting the giggles when filming a particular kissing scene for the film. She credited Damon and Affleck's writing, saying the script was "beautiful," and shared how important it was that she captured Marguerite's side of the story alongside the other characters' perspectives. Despite the serious tone of the script, Comer itted they weren't always able to keep a straight face on set, claiming they were "delirious" and overcome with "giggles" during a party scene that involved a kiss. She explained that it was really interesting to see how each perspective fit together in the film's final cut. Read her full quote below:
I think the beautiful thing about the script was it was all there on the page. The intentions were very, very clear as to what was needed in each perspective. What was sometimes jarring was that we shot each version simultaneously, so we were literally jumping from one to the next. And then I’m always wanting to make sure that we’ve got Marguerite. I felt really loyal to her and really wanted to make sure that we’d always got that in the bag, and then I felt like I could play around with the other versions.
But I was kind of afforded a lot of freedom in what I wanted to explore. We kind of played around with the subtlety and how far we wanted to push it. We kind of got a little bit delirious in that [kiss] scene. Do you when we were doing that kiss, when we did the party? We all got really bad-bad giggles, which wasn’t ideal. But it was great to then see the final film and see how all those moments play out, because it’s so important that when you’re in each perspective, you’re really invested in what that character is telling you.
It is clear that the cast was able to have fun filming The Last Duel, despite its gritty context. Comer highlighted her dedication to telling Marguerite's story properly, and Matt Damon also credited Comer for helping them with the script. Damon and Affleck previously worked together on the Oscar-winning screenplay The Last Duel sees the two pair up again over 20 years later, with a bit more experience under their belts.
The Last Duel will be released in theatres in both the USA and UK on the 15th of October. Audiences can expect harrowing scenes alongside intense battle sequences and questionable haircuts. Comer, with her recent track record, will undoubtedly deliver a spectacular performance in the film, giving a voice back to the women who were previously silenced.
Source: 20th Century Studios
