Matt Damon and Casey Affleck chat about Rob Gronkowski’s role in “Instigators”
Matt Damon and Casey Affleck tell USA TODAY’s Marco della Cava what it was like working with Rob Gronkowski on “The Instigators.”
Spoiler alert! We discuss details of Gronk’s hilarious cameo in “The Instigators” (now streaming on Apple TV+). Stop reading now if you haven’t seen it and don’t want to know.
Leave it to two diehard Bostonians – Matt Damon and Casey Affleck – to bring a New England Patriots legend to the big screen.
Rob Gronkowski, 35, better known as Gronk, has a fleeting but memorable role in “The Instigators,” the new rogue comedy co-written by Affleck, who landed his appearance thanks to an unsolicited call from one of the film’s producers.
Damon and Affleck, who were thrilled with their cameo appearance, play desperate, lovable thieves whose mental health is a major concern for their tireless therapist, played by Hong Chau (“The Whale”).
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Gronk’s imposing stature (he is 1.98 m tall and weighs 120 kg) and his well-groomed appearance (well-groomed face, crew cut) characterize his performance.
The former football star plays the assistant to a corrupt Boston mayor (Ron Perlman) who, after repeated election fraud, has suddenly been defeated by a brash young challenger. The mayor desperately tries to break open a safe containing his winnings before the police arrive, with Gronk’s character serving as his chief delaying tactician.
Before a shrinking crowd gathered for a failed victory celebration, Gronk stands at a lectern in front of a few assembled guests and shouts the reassuring assurance that the mayor would soon be back.
“I can’t imagine anyone better to support a corrupt mayor,” says Damon. “He was amazing and just so positive. Film crews aren’t usually impressed, but when someone like that walked onto the set, it was a breathtaking moment.”
Gronkowski played in the NFL for 11 years, mostly with the Patriots, where he helped Tom Brady and the rest of the team win three Super Bowls. He also won the big game once with his last team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earning a total of four shiny rings.
The tight end was best known as a top-notch blocker and receiver, a rare dual threat. He holds the record for most combined receptions (23) and yards (297) in Super Bowl history.
Online rumors suggested that Gronk wished his brief appearance had lasted longer, but Affleck refuted that view on a Sirius XM town hall with Andy Cohen, saying, “To me, that just says he had a really good time and he enjoyed the movie and he wishes he was in it more. … I wish I was in the NFL more, you know what I mean? But I’m not.”
Affleck told USA TODAY: “Gronk did in our film what he’s done on the field for the Patriots for years: He shows up, gets told what to do and does it perfectly. He played his game and executed.”
