The Departed: Matt Damon shares disturbing Jack Nicholson rewrites

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

If you had the chance to work with Jack Nicholson, I would assume you'd come out of that experience with some pretty interesting stories to tell. Matt Damon, who is making the rounds promoting his upcoming film Stillwater, has his very own experience with the actor while they were shooting Martin Scorsese's The Departed. Nicholson plays Costello in the film, the key figure of an Irish-American organized crime syndicate, and the actor suggested some rewrites that would show how ruthless Costello is but the suggestions have gone a bit too far.

During a chat on comedian Marc Maron's WTF podcast, Damon went into detail about how Nicholson feels that his great success as an actor stems from a belief that he's "a f*cking great writer." Nicholson was assessing a scene where his character performs a seaside execution that was originally only an eighth of a page long. Nicholson chose to share with Damon his pretty disturbing rewrites for the scene and it's certainly an idea that is the very definition of that escalated quickly:

"He goes, 'We’re gonna keep in this same shot, I’m not gonna add any time or money to the schedule. But I shoot her in the back of the head, and she falls over. Now, you could end the scene there, but if you keep the camera rolling, I turn to Ray and I say, ‘Geez, she fell funny.’ Now, that’s a very sinister line. It suggests that I’ve done this before. There’s a way that people fall. Now you could end the scene there, but if you keep the camera rolling, Ray reveals an axe that he’s holding behind his back. He’s gonna chop her up. So Ray starts to step forward…Now you could end the scene there, but if you leave the camera rolling, I say, ‘Wait, I think I wanna f*ck her again.’ Now that’s a very sinister line. You could end the scene there, but if you keep the camera rolling, Ray gives me a look and after a long pause, I go, ‘Ahhhhh!’ Like I’ve got him. Now, you could keep the camera rolling, Ray says to me, ‘Francis, you really ought to see somebody.'"

Even though some of the more disturbing aspects of Nicholson's suggestions were left out, Scorsese did incorporate some of his ideas. The original script called for Nicholson's character to execute a man but the final cut of the film shows Costello shooting a woman, which was Nicholson's idea. The moment is accompanied by Ray Winstone, who plays Mr.French in the film, delivering the "She fell funny" line. Winstone is also seen holding the hatchet that Nicholson had mentioned and he does respond with "Francis, you really should see somebody." The biggest thing left out from Nicholson's inspired rewrites is the line "Wait, I think I wanna f*ck her again" and that's probably for the best.

The Departed is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs and is also loosely based on the real-life Boston Winter Hill Gang. The character of Collin Sullivan (Damon) is based on corrupt FBI agent John Connolly while the character of Frank Costello (Nicholson) is based on Irish-American gangster Whitey Bulger. Taking place in Boston, Irish Mob boss Frank Costello plants Colin Sullivan as a mole within the Massachusetts State Police while simultaneously the police assign undercover state trooper Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) to infiltrate Costello's crew. When both sides realize the situation, Sullivan and Costigan each attempt to discover the other's identity before they are found out. The Departed was a critical and box office success, grossing $291.5 million globally and winning four Oscars at the 79th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Martin Scorsese), Best Film Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker), and Best Adapted Screenplay (William Monahan). Mark Wahlberg was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance but lost to Alan Arkin for his role in Little Miss Sunshine. Also, The Departed marked the first time that Martin Scorsese won an Oscar after six previous losses. Other performers rounding out the cast include Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, Anthony Anderson, and Kevin Corrigan.

What are YOUR thoughts on Jack Nicholson's rewrite suggestions?