There used to be a rumor that William Goldman secretly wrote Good Will Hunting, but here’s an even better story that’s on the record: Terrence Malick suggested its ending. Matt Damon revealed that after he finagled a meeting with the reclusive Malick to discuss the script, the director suggested a change to the story’s romantic happy ending, which found Damon and Minnie Driver leaving town together. “In the middle of the dinner, he said, ‘I think it would be better if she left and he went after her.’ And Ben [Affleck] and I looked at each other. It was one of those things where you go, ‘Of course that’s better.’” At least, it was a better note than Gus Van Sant’s original insistence that Affleck’s character should be killed: “Gus came down and said ‘I want to do a draft where Chucky, Ben’s character, dies on the construction site.’ And Ben and I were just mortified. ‘What are you talking about?’ ‘I want him to get crushed like a bug.’ We said ‘Gus, what are you talking about? You can’t just fucking smush Ben. That’s a terrible idea.’” [Taking Barack to the Movies via MCN]
