Gilliam abandons plans for Damon's nose

Terry Gilliam's ideas for Matt Damon's nose came close to scuppering The Brothers Grimm. the director has claimed.

The former Python felt that his lead's nose was a little too endearing to be seen on the face of a con-man character, and so thought it best to add a prosthetic lump to it for the sake of realism.

Although the result went down well with both Gilliam and Damon himself, the movie's financiers, Bob and Harvey Weinstein, were none too impressed and ordered the bump's removal, even threatening to remove their funding if the blemish stayed put.

Gilliam told The Times that he considered walking out of the project over the disagreement, but was discouraged by the possible legal consequences. He explained: “They came over and said: ‘We close the film down if you put the bump on his nose.

“That is the madness: [there's] this huge juggernaut of a movie roaring down the road and there’s this little nose in the middle. I wake up in the middle of the night wondering what would have happened if I had just secretly put that bump back.???

He later mused over leaving the venture again when Bob Weinstein fired director of photography Nicola Pecorini, but ended up staying on the condition that the pair never speak again. They have since spoken only once - in the run-up to the film's New York opening.

The Brothers Grimm, featuring Matt Damon's unaltered proboscis, hits UK screens this weekend.