Carrie Coon made her feature film debut in David Fincher’s Gone Girl, delivering an incredible performance as Margot Dunne, the put-upon sister of Ben Affleck’s Nick, who finds herself caught in the crossfire of conspiracy and media intrusion surrounding the disappearance of Rosamund Pike’s Amy.
Although the actress had plenty of stage and television experience, making your first movie appearance in an acclaimed and atmospheric thriller hailing from one of the industry’s most acclaimed filmmakers must have been a daunting prospect, but Coon was easily one of the standout performers among the ensemble.
One of the most famous tales from the Gone Girl shoot is that Fincher and Affleck disagreed so strongly about what hat his character should wear during a scene, production was shut down for four days so the two could come to an agreement. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter to promote her part in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Coon poured cold water on the urban myth.
“I do not recall a four-day shutdown over a hat. No, I do not recall there being a four-day shutdown. So I think that might’ve been a touch of exaggeration, though they are both very passionate. And also, David Fincher gives Ben a lot of sh*t just in general. But Ben really likes it. I mean, the thing that was hard about being on set is that Ben was always behind the camera asking David why he was doing what he was doing and interrogating him like he was a film school nerd. So it was sometimes hard to get Ben to focus.”
Fincher is known for his meticulous planning and preparation ahead of every shoot, as well as his preference for a voluminous number of takes, so it wasn’t surprising that tales of him calling a halt to Gone Girl over a hat ended up gaining traction. According to Coon, though, it’s rooted much more in myth than fact.