Matt Damon tackles controversial 'fracking' in "Promised Land"

It’s been 15 years since Matt Damon won his Academy Award for writing the script (along with Ben Affleck) for director Gus Van Sant’s “Good Will Hunting”.

That film thrust Damon into the spotlight and turned him into a household name: he also starred in the flick and received his first Oscar nomination as an actor (he's got two of those nowadays).

Now, with close to 60 movies under his belt and one other screenplay ("Gerry," which he, Van Sant and Casey Affleck co-wrote and created together in 2002) to his credit, Damon is back once again with Van Sant, doing what they both do best with the new movie "Promised Land."

Teaming up this time with "The Office" star John Krasinski, who co-wrote the script and co-stars, Damon and Van Sant tackle the hot-button issue of natural gas fracking and its effects on a small farming community. Damon plays a natural gas company frontman with very deep pockets who descends on the town, ready to purchase land-lease rights in order to begin fracking there.

"We did a lot of research," Damon explained recently. "And the more we looked at it, the more we went, 'Wow, this is actually perfect because people are so divided.' The issues are so complex. It is a temporary lifeline to some people. There are potential downstream horrific outcomes to the land. If you believe the energy industry, there are potential downstream benefits that we can't even imagine and geopolitical benefits. So there's so much to look at. It's such a high stakes game that it was a perfect place to set a movie about the decisions we make as communities — and about taking responsibility for them."

The release of "Promised Land" couldn't be more timely for Californians, too. In December, state regulators released draft rules on fracking. Public debate on the proposed rules is scheduled for early in 2013, just as the movie rolls into theaters.

The film takes a close look at how the community is affected and pits Krasinski opposite Damon as an environmental activist out to stop the land leasing and subsequent drilling from happening. As the tale twists and turns, it takes on both sides of the issue, something Damon feels is key to making it such a compelling story.

"We really, ultimately, want the movie to start a conversation. You know, it's not up to us to give anybody the answer," Damon said. "The thing is, when you get out there and meet the people who are living through this, the stakes are so incredibly high. I mean, a lot of them are going to lose their family farms if they don't sign up for these leases, if they don't lease their land. It's just a very, very complex issue and people feel very strongly about it."

But don't get him wrong; Damon also wants audiences to enjoy the experience of seeing the movie.

"I mean, nobody wants to go see a movie where they get a message at the end, so that really wasn't our intent," he explained with his trademark grin. "I think it's a really nice, uplifting kind of pro-community story, showing this moment in time in our country, and what the stakes are when big money collides with real people."

"Promised Land" opens in selected theaters on Friday and expands to wide release on Jan. 4.