Matt Damon said the cast anticipated John Malkovich’s performance of Teddy KGB for months.
The cult classic poker movie Rounders is in the gaming news recently.
A couple of anecdotes are fueling speculation that the film given some small credit for the Poker Boom might eventually spawn a sequel.
One incident involved Edward Norton being paid €110,000 to play cards at a poker event, while the other involved Matt Damon discussing life on the set of the 1998 film.
The Edward Norton story comes from Bloomberg News, which discussed an upcoming appearance by Edward Norton and Jonah Hill in a private card game with top poker professionals. It is unknown where the game will be played, but the appearance stemmed from a high-priced charity auction in France.
Auction for Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation
The auction took place for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which has raised $25 million and $40 million respectively in its last two charity events. The auction was conducted by well known auctioneer Simon De Pury, who presented “diverse offerings” to a “broader ranger of bidders”.
European Painters Involved
Items auctioned includes works by Camille Henrot, a French painters whose art seldom is auctioned. On watercolor is valued at $40,000. An oil painting by Jana Euler, a German painter, is expected to sell for $65 thousand. Paintings by George Condo, Damien Hirts, Cai Guo-Qiang, and Jeff Koons also were sold.
Hollywood item collections also sold. Those included Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Harley Davidson from Terminator II and Conan’s sword from Conan the Barbarian. Also, Leonardo DiCaprio’s survival tools from the movie Revenant also sold.
Bono and Prince Albert II
Other entertainers contributed. US frontman Bono sold two of his guitars. Martin Scorsese offered up a week on the set of one of his films, while Harvey Weinstein offered a chance to accompany him to a year’s worth of film events. Kevin Spacey offered a private theater experience, while Margot Robbie and Doutzen Kroes provided fans with a chance to meet them.
Prince Albert II led bidders on a personal tour of Monaco, while explorer Johan Ernst Nilson offered a chance to take 3 ice-filled trips on future voyages. Besides these many possible enticements, bidders were offered a private game of Texas Hold Em with Edward Norton and Johan Hill.
Recreating “Worm”
While Edward Norton’s session of cards is a reference to his role as “Worm” in the film Rounders, the appearance obviously is done to help charity. Edward Norton has downplayed his role in Rounders in the past.
Though the character of “Worm” is an iconic role for some — described by one reviewer as a “shifty, amphetamine soul” — the film was early in his career, when Norton was still playing more minor roles. IMDB has him as the 21st member of the cast. Though he was notable for his roles in Primal Fear and American History X, Norton’s role in Fight Club in 1999 was considered his true breakout role.
The tip of the cap to Rounders has fueled rumors that Ed Norton might be ready to film a sequel to Rounders. Matt Damon, who played the lead role (Worm’s buddy Mike McDermott), appears much more apt to play in a sequel.
Chances of a Rounders Sequel
Damon spoke recently about the fun he had on the set of Rounders. One got the idea he would be excited about a reunion, while he mentioned that people all the time mention his role in the film.
While Rounders (1998) appeared several years before the Poker Boom in America (2003), many saw the film as one of the key pop culture moments that led up to the Poker Boom.
Matt Damon’s Rounders Anecdotes
Matt Damon described the excitement of first seeing John Malkovich on the set, as well as the great anticipation of the other actors to see his portrayal of Russian poker emperor, Teddy KGB. Matt Damon also did a pretty spot-on impression of Malkovich as Teddy KGB.
A sequel of these characters 20 years later would be fascinating. Given the pop culture impact that Texas Hold’em and the poker subculture has made on the world since, an update might be timely and insightful.
About the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundations
The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation was founded in 1998, has awarded $59.6 million in grants since then, and supports 65+ organizations. It mission is the “long-term health and well-being of all Earth’s inhabitants“.
Projects include wildlands conservation, oceans conservation, protecting biodiversity, and concerns about climate change. Individual projects involve everything from expanding the Mkomazi Rhino Sanctuary and supporting the Pacific Wolf Coalition to cultural survival and rainforest protection it the Amazon River basin.
