The Truth About Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Friendship

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“Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are childhood friends…This is their first Academy Award.”

As the award presenter announced at the 1998 Oscars, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who still seemed like neighborhood kids despite being 25 and 27, walked on stage to accept their Best Original Screenplay award for Good Will Hunting. They had decided to write the film together between acting auditions, wanting to create a project that genuinely interested them as performers.

Affleck and Damon were thrilled and grateful for the support they’d received from so many wonderful people. They especially thanked their mothers, who were both present, as well as Damon’s father and their hometown of Boston. Affleck joked that a proper thank-you would take at least twenty seconds to deliver.

Now that they’ve sorted out their finances and opened individual bank accounts, Ben Affleck, 53, and Matt Damon, 55, continue to work together and are enjoying it. They’ve even started their own production company, Actors Equity.

Affleck explained on TODAY January 13th that he and Damon’s long-lasting friendship is unusual because they also share a profession. While promoting their new crime thriller, The Rip, which is based on a true story, Affleck said they bonded as kids over a shared dream: making it in the movie business. They’ve been supporting each other and pursuing that passion ever since.

They moved to Hollywood in the early 1990s, and things have gone remarkably well for both of them ever since. As Damon recalled on TODAY, they didn’t have much money back then, often sharing a bank account with very little in it.

Affleck recently told Entertainment Weekly that a key to his and Damon’s lasting friendship is that they never saw each other as rivals. He explained that in some industries, especially those with limited opportunities, people can feel like someone else’s success means less for them. But they never approached their working relationship that way.

It all began in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when Ben Affleck was eight years old and Matt Damon was ten, as their families were neighbors living on nearby streets.

In a 2017 interview with ABC News, Affleck said he and Matt Damon haven’t really changed despite how the public now sees them. He explained that while people react to them differently because they’re famous, their connection and the way they relate to each other is still the same as when they were growing up.

At the time, they were even neighbors again.

You know, Ben just texted me last night – a simple ‘Want to watch Monday Night Football?’ – and of course, I couldn’t because I was in New York! But it’s so lovely to have that easy, comfortable connection with him, that casual invitation. It’s really special to have a friendship like ours that can weather all the craziness of Hollywood and making movies. It’s a grounding force, honestly.

Ben Affleck was born in Berkeley, California, and then his parents, Chris and Tim (who later divorced in the early 1980s), moved the family back to the East Coast. His younger brother, Casey Affleck, was born there in 1975. Meanwhile, Matt Damon grew up in Massachusetts with his parents, Kent and Nancy, and his older brother, Kyle.

In a 1997 interview with Interview magazine, Damon explained that his mother, a professor specializing in early childhood development, knew Ben’s mother—who taught young children. After his family moved back to Cambridge, his mother connected with Ben’s mother, which Damon jokingly said meant he didn’t really have a choice but to become friends with Ben.

Affleck recalled Damon being very sociable and friendly as a kid. He joked that it wasn’t shocking Damon became so bold and attention-seeking. Specifically, Damon insists Affleck never struck him out in Little League, which Affleck vehemently denies, claiming he was the star pitcher.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon became close friends through their shared love of baseball, and later, acting. Affleck began acting professionally at a young age, but didn’t have anyone outside his family to discuss it with until Damon became interested in acting too.

Ben Affleck explained that Matt Damon gave him a way to connect acting with his social life at school. In a 2007 interview with Parade magazine, Affleck recalled that as a teenager, it was natural to bond with friends who shared your interests. Before meeting Damon, Affleck felt isolated in his acting pursuits. He described it as a solitary hobby – something he’d do on his own, like appearing in small TV roles – that others didn’t quite understand.

He explained that no one else understood what he was doing or how it worked. Then he met a friend named Matt, who actually got it – he was fascinated by it, wanted to learn more, and soon they were both doing it together.

Ben Affleck recalled when he and Matt Damon, as teenagers – Matt was 16 and Ben 14 – would travel to New York City to audition for roles. They’d take the train, or sometimes fly on airlines like Eastern Shuttle or People’s Express, which offered incredibly cheap fares – around $20. Back then, you could even smoke on planes, and Affleck admitted they smoked constantly, foolishly trying to act mature. He described it as a rather sad sight.

Damon explained to Interview magazine that he and Affleck used to have “business lunches” in high school – meetings at the smaller cafeteria where they’d plan things out. Affleck added that they were “really nerdy” and joked that they’d rather focus on their more recent, less embarrassing years.

Damon graduated high school in 1988 and initially went to Harvard. However, after two years, he transferred to the University of Vermont. As he told Parade magazine, this was because he had a crush on a girl he went to high school with. She wasn’t at Vermont with him, but at a nearby school, and he hoped being close to her might give him a chance. He jokingly admitted he wasn’t very experienced with relationships and found the situation foreshadowed similar experiences later in life.

In an interview with Parade magazine, Ben Affleck was in the early years of his ten-year marriage to Jennifer Garner. He was already known for his humble and self-effacing humor, likely stemming from the highly publicized end of his previous engagement to Jennifer Lopez.

Neither friend finished university but luck was on their side.

Matt and I shared so many of the same passions, we always figured we’d end up doing similar things, whether that meant achieving success or even something more low-key like working at Dodgers games. We were close even when living in different states before becoming roommates in L.A., and we consistently stayed in touch – we saw each other and talked on the phone constantly, Affleck told Interview.

And soon enough, they were hanging out on set.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck first appeared together on screen in the 1992 film School Ties, where Damon gave a standout performance as a snobby student in a 1950s boarding school. Shortly after, Damon’s role as a soldier in the action film Geronimo helped them financially. (Though this wasn’t their very first on-screen appearance – both had small, uncredited roles as extras in the 1989 film Field of Dreams.)

I first really noticed Ben Affleck when he played the tough guy O’Bannion in Dazed and Confused – he was fantastic! But it was amazing to see what he and Matt Damon did next. They were hustling, going to auditions and doing whatever they could, and they really drew on where they came from – their Cambridge roots. That’s how Good Will Hunting came about. I remember reading that Matt had actually started writing it while he was at Harvard, taking classes in playwriting and directing. It was incredible to see them turn their experiences into such a powerful film.

After living in Los Angeles for around a year, Damon explained to Interview magazine that he and Ben Affleck started writing a script one night and quickly found the ideas coming easily. They wrote it rapidly, sometimes together and sometimes apart, sending pages to each other by fax when they weren’t in the same place. They sold the finished script to Castle Rock in 1994.

Honestly, it always felt a little awkward selling that script. So many of my friends are truly gifted writers, way better than me and Ben, except maybe when it comes to writing dialogue. But scripting feels different than actual writing, at least to me. It’s more like acting – figuring out how characters would talk and behave. We still don’t think of ourselves as ‘writers,’ really. We just look at something that’s worked and think, ‘Well, I guess that did the trick!’

Affleck said they decided to create the film themselves because they weren’t getting opportunities to showcase their acting skills elsewhere. They were willing to do whatever it took, even on a limited budget, just to have a finished product they could be proud of – something they could look back on and say, ‘We did this.’

Damon remembered the intense competition that started as soon as their agent saw the script. He explained, “It was a real eye-opener about how Hollywood operates. We were used to going on lots of auditions, but it felt completely different when people were actually fighting to buy something we’d created.”

And selling Good Will Hunting was only the beginning.

Affleck explained their main goal was simply to get the movie made. However, after a year, they disagreed with Castle Rock, who then gave them a month to find another buyer. If they couldn’t sell the script within 30 days, Castle Rock would regain the rights and could make the film however they chose. They were essentially being removed from the project, but offered the chance to attend the premiere of something they’d dedicated three years of their lives to.

Following that, their producer, Chris Moore, connected the project with Miramax. Soon after, they learned that Gus Van Sant was interested in directing, but only if he could also act in the film. Once that was settled, everything began to come together.

And not just the pieces of their project.

When Good Will Hunting arrived in theaters in December 1997 and received nine Academy Award nominations, both Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were already establishing themselves as actors. Affleck was becoming known for playing confident, sometimes unlikeable characters in films like Mallrats and Dazed and Confused, and had just landed his first starring role in Chasing Amy. Meanwhile, Damon had dramatically lost weight – 40 pounds – to portray a heroin-addicted soldier in the Gulf War film Courage Under Fire, and also appeared in The Rainmaker, a legal thriller directed by the renowned Francis Ford Coppola.

Damon explained to The Guardian that it’s like waking up and finding everything appears normal, realizing that what was important yesterday still is today. However, he added, your personal experience of the world will be fundamentally changed forever.

He explained that the experience was incredibly disorienting and took years to process. He recalled his brother asking how he was coping, and he responded that he felt unchanged, while everyone around him seemed different.

You know, I was reading an old interview with Ben Affleck, and he talked about his parents’ initial reaction to him and Matt Damon wanting to become actors. It’s totally relatable! They were worried, as any parent would be, about the instability of the profession – the constant rejection and the struggle to make ends meet. But Ben and Matt were really determined. He actually thinks everyone secretly wants to be an actor – honestly, who wouldn’t? It’s a dream job! The only thing holding most people back, he believes, is that it just seems so…unrealistic. It’s that leap of faith that’s hard to take, isn’t it?

They’ve become much more than actors or celebrities. They’re now iconic figures in popular culture, often linked together and each embodying a distinct Hollywood image. In fact, they’re central to Dunkin’ Donuts’ advertising – they’re the driving force behind the brand’s campaigns, not just faces on a cup.

Since becoming famous, Matt Damon has maintained a consistently successful career – starring in a popular action series, receiving three Academy Award nominations, and winning a Golden Globe for The Martian. He’s also managed to stay out of trouble more often than many in Hollywood, especially compared to Ben Affleck. He’s been happily married to Luciana Barroso since 2005, and they have four daughters. While Affleck wasn’t at Damon’s original wedding in New York, he did attend their vow renewal ceremony in Saint Lucia in 2013.

While Ben Affleck has faced challenges in his life and career, his successes are equally well-known. He’s earned critical praise for his directing, won an Academy Award for Argo, played a memorable Batman, and raised three children – accomplishments that have brought him to the peak of his career.

Damon spoke to The Hollywood Reporter in 2015, shortly after news of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s separation after a decade of marriage, saying that Affleck was deeply misunderstood. He explained that ten years prior, the public’s perception of Affleck was very different from his true personality, portraying him as an unintelligent, physically-focused person, largely due to his relationship with Jennifer Lopez.

It just broke my heart watching him take on this role that felt so…wrong. It was honestly painful being his friend, seeing him struggle with something that didn’t fit. Nobody understood him, not really. But he fought so hard, you know? He started from nothing and just…climbed. He didn’t just get back to where he was before, he soared past both of us, achieving more than I ever thought possible. It was incredible, and devastating, all at once.

And Affleck has never taken Damon’s enduring support for granted.

In a 2017 interview with Entertainment Tonight, he explained how much he values having friends like Damon who understand what he’s been through – both the good and the bad. He described these close relationships, including the one with his brother, as incredibly precious and said he couldn’t imagine life without them.

Affleck and Damon, having been close friends for years, have experienced all sorts of rumors about their successful relationship, both personal and professional. This includes old jokes suggesting Affleck held Damon back while writing Good Will Hunting, inaccurate reports of a falling out, and even speculation—before social media amplified everything—that they were a couple. They’ve truly heard it all.

Back when Matt Damon and I started working together, people started rumors that we were gay simply because we were two men who had co-written a screenplay,” Damon told The Guardian in 2015. “It was just gossip, and it forced us into the awkward position of having to address it, which was really upsetting. I don’t want to suggest that being gay is something negative—I wouldn’t want to offend my friends who are gay by implying that.

It’s something that still bothers me, even now. A couple of years after ‘Good Will Hunting’ really took off, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon had to face the difficult truth about how Harvey Weinstein played a huge role in their early wins. He wasn’t just the money behind the Kevin Smith films that helped launch their careers – he was also the financial backer of ‘Good Will Hunting’ itself. It’s a complicated part of the film’s history, and honestly, it casts a shadow over everything.

Following the numerous accusations of sexual assault and harassment against Harvey Weinstein starting in October 2017 – accusations that led to his convictions for rape in both New York and Los Angeles, and subsequent prison sentences of 23 and 16 years – Affleck and Damon publicly stated their desire to help create a more fair, inclusive, and safe working environment in Hollywood.

It’s clear this kind of behavior happens, and I worked on five or six films with Harvey Weinstein. However, I never witnessed anything like this myself, as many actors have stated. It’s not accurate to say we all knew. This sort of abuse happens privately, away from the public eye. If I had ever been present when he was behaving this way and hadn’t noticed, I would be truly sorry, because I would have intervened.

Ben Affleck announced he will donate any money he receives from his old Miramax films to two organizations: RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and Film Independent. He also admitted, “I thought I understood the extent of the problem, but I really didn’t.”

In December 2017, Matt Damon’s father, Kent Damon, passed away after a battle with cancer. While this was a deeply painful loss for Damon, his close friend Ben Affleck was also profoundly affected.

As someone who’s seen a lot of relationships, let me tell you, life isn’t always smooth sailing, even with people you’re incredibly close to. When I spoke with People back in 2018, I shared that a particular friend – someone I consider like family – really went through a tough time. He was incredibly close to my father, and they had a wonderful bond. So, naturally, the past year was really difficult for him, just as it was for all of us.

That summer, Affleck spent 40 days in rehab and then continued with ongoing outpatient treatment and support to maintain his sobriety. He relied on friends and family who had supported him for years, and they were always available when he needed them.

Although Ben Affleck and Matt Damon still respected each other’s work, it had been some time since they’d collaborated on a project they were truly excited about. In 2019, they began working on adapting the true story of medieval revenge, The Last Duel, based on a book by Eric Janger, and they brought on writer and director Nicole Holofcener to help.

The movie, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, Adam Driver, and Jodie Comer, faced delays due to the pandemic and didn’t perform well when it was finally released in 2021. Despite this, critics generally liked it, and the writers enjoyed working together so much they decided to continue collaborating. Ben Affleck also appeared in a memorable supporting role.

Affleck described working with Damon as incredibly enjoyable and fulfilling. He realized, after working with others, just how special their partnership is. He said he genuinely loves both working with and spending time with Damon, and as life gets busier with family and other responsibilities, it’s important to have a compelling reason to pursue projects together.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon teamed up again for the 2023 film Air, which tells the real story of how Nike tried to sign a young Michael Jordan. This movie was the first project from their new production company, Artists Equity, and it was the first time Affleck directed his longtime friend, Matt Damon, in a film.

At the premiere, Affleck described working on the project as “the joy of his professional life.” Damon playfully said that Affleck had been directing him for decades, but added that doing so officially was “really exciting,” and he called it “the best summer job I ever had.”

You know, I always tell people that finding work you genuinely enjoy is the key to happiness. Ben Affleck put it beautifully – when you’re fortunate enough to collaborate with people you care about, it truly doesn’t feel like work anymore. It’s a dream scenario, honestly – that sweet spot where passion and profession meet.

You know, I was chatting with Matt Damon recently – he was on Bill Simmons’ podcast – and he really put it beautifully. He said that he and Ben Affleck have to make a conscious effort to collaborate, or it just won’t happen. And honestly, at this point in their careers, with all they’ve achieved, the chance to still work together is something they both recognize as truly special. He basically said, ‘Why wouldn’t we take advantage of that?’ It’s a great reminder for all of us – don’t take valuable relationships for granted, and actively nurture those opportunities when they arise!

Affleck jokingly added that the only improvement he could think of would be getting to work with our children, but he suspects his own kids wouldn’t allow that.

See Matt and Ben’s friendship in photos:

As a longtime movie buff, I still remember when Good Will Hunting burst onto the scene! It really launched Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s careers. They starred as Will, a brilliant but troubled guy, and his loyal friend Chuckie. The film was a massive hit with critics – it racked up nine Academy Award nominations, including nods for Best Picture, Matt Damon as Best Actor, Robin Williams for Best Supporting Actor – a truly deserved recognition – and the fantastic original screenplay they wrote themselves.

In 1998, the awards season kicked off with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon attending the Golden Globes, where their film Good Will Hunting received four nominations.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon first won Golden Globes for the screenplay of Good Will Hunting. Affleck later won another in 2013 for directing Argo, and Damon won in 2016 for his performance in The Martian.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, fondly acknowledged their hometown as a key influence on their first film, Good Will Hunting.

Damon and Affleck relish their Oscar win in 1998.

In 1998, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon brought their mothers, Chris Affleck and Nancy Carlsson-Paige, as their dates to the Oscars.

Damon and Affleck teamed up as fallen angels Loki and Bartleby in Kevin Smith‘s 1999 comedy Dogma.

Matt and Ben dress down in Miami Beach in 2006.

In 2006, Damon attended a screening of Hollywoodland to support his friend Ben Affleck, who starred as George Reeves – the actor famous for playing Superman on television in the 1950s.

I’ve been following Ben Affleck and Matt Damon for years! It’s funny to think both of them got married in 2005, and I remember reading about them all hanging out together in Miami Beach back in 2008. It was sad when Ben and Jennifer Garner separated in 2015 and eventually divorced in 2018, especially since they have three kids. But it’s wonderful to see Matt and Luciana still going strong – they’re parents to four beautiful daughters and were about to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary in December 2020. They’re a really lovely couple!

Matt and Ben hang out, ’cause that’s what they do.

As you’d expect, Affleck was one of the celebrities who celebrated and playfully teased Damon when Damon received the American Cinematheque Award in 2010.

Ben added with a smile, ‘Since we both started around the same time, tonight feels special for me as well.’

They always look ready for a marathon poker tournament.

In 2014, the friends reunited to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Project Greenlight, their HBO show that followed the making of independent films.

Ben Affleck attended the 2014 premiere of Manchester by the Sea to support his brother, Casey Affleck, and close friend Matt Damon. The two worked together as producers on the film, and Casey later won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance. It became a bit of a humorous story when Casey forgot to thank Ben in his acceptance speech.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon attended the 2015 premiere to support The Leisure Class, the winning film from season four of their show, Project Greenlight.

In 2016, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon performed a live reading of Good Will Hunting, recreating their characters Chuckie and Will. They were joined by friends like John Krasinski, who narrated, Emily Blunt as Skylar, Keegan-Michael Key as Billy, and Margo Martindale, who brilliantly portrayed the role of Dr. Maguire, originally played by the late Robin Williams.

Damon is thrilled that Ben Affleck finally got to play Batman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and other DC films. It’s a full-circle moment, considering both actors auditioned for the role of Robin 20 years prior, when Tim Burton was directing Batman movies. That Robin character later appeared in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever.

In 2017, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon came together at the Oscars to present the award for Best Original Screenplay, marking their first time doing so together since they both won awards nearly two decades earlier.

Everyone looked shocked when Moonlight was announced as the Best Picture winner, especially since La La Land was widely expected to win.

Matt and Ben enjoy a night out with fellow Boston sports nut Bill Simmons.

The lifelong Red Sox fans got emotional celebrating their team’s 2018 World Series title.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon attended the 2021 Venice Film Festival to promote their new movie, The Last Duel, which marks their first time writing a screenplay together since Good Will Hunting.

The co-founders of Artists Equity celebrated the debut of their first film, Air, at SXSW in March 2023. The inspiring true story stars Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro, a Nike representative who, in 1984, convinced a young Michael Jordan to endorse the brand. He did this by appealing to Jordan’s mother, Viola Davis, and showing her why Nike was the best choice for her son. Ben Affleck portrays Nike’s founder, Phil Knight.

A bazillion pairs of Air Jordans sold later…

 

Besides acting in and producing Air, this is the first time Matt Damon has acted in a film directed by Ben Affleck.

Matt Damon praised his friend, the director, at the Los Angeles premiere, telling TopMob News that ‘everyone knows he’s incredibly talented.’ He also expressed how much he enjoyed working with him and hopes they’ll collaborate again in the future.

Matt Damon, known for his role in The Martian, was at the SXSW premiere of The Accountant 2 – a film produced by his frequent collaborator – and showed off a noticeably longer beard.

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2026-01-18 14:20