Matt Damon and Ben Affleck‘s long friendship has been nothing short of a fantasy novel that brings readers to idolize it. The two actors met way back when they were children and have been inseparable since. Hollywood has been witness to Ben and Matt’s bromance since they started appearing for auditions together, acted in various movies, and eventually landed their first Oscar together. Ben’s ex-wife Jennifer Garner humorously commented on their friendship, “Here’s proof that love is alive and well in Hollywood. At least for my darling husband my husband’s darling husband, Matt Damon.”
We can all agree that the duo shares one of the warmest friendships in Hollywood for they were awarded the ‘Guys Of The Decade Award’ in 2016. Guys’ Choice Award presented them with this title that cemented their friendship with a little gold. Affleck on receiving the award said, “I think it goes without saying that this is an award Matt and I have been dreaming about since we were little boys …” Let us learn more about how the 40-year-long friendship started between DC’s Batman and ‘The Martian‘ actor.
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When Did Matt Damon And Ben Affleck Meet?
Ben first met Matt in the 1980s, when they were 8 and 10 respectively in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was probably fate that made the two young and aspiring actors live two blocks away from each other. According to Parade, Ben said, “Before Matt, I was by myself. Acting was a solo activity where I’d just go off and do something, act in a little TV show or something, and no one understood it. None of the other kids knew what it was I did, how it worked, or anything.” No sooner did they become friends than their mutual love for acting was revealed and the two set out on their journey to Hollywood together.
Damon related in the TV show how Ben won his undying trust and love by defending the former in a school fight. “He will put himself in a really bad spot for me. This is a good friend,” said Damon. By their teen age, both were confident that they wanted their future in acting. Both would travel to New York City together to give auditions.
Ben told Parade, “We’d take the train. Or sometimes we’d even take the airplane, back when there was the Eastern Shuttle or People’s Express,” He continued, “It cost like $20 to fly and you could smoke on the plane. We were smoking like idiots because we thought we were really supposed to be grown-up. It was pitiful.” Both got their first break together when they starred in the teen drama, ‘School Ties’. Damon was one of the leads in the movie as Charlie Dillon and Ben had the supporting role of Chesty Smith.
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Ben And Matt Over The Decades
After their 1992 release of ‘School Ties‘, an idea to write sprouted in the heads of Damon and Ben. That’s when they began on the script of ‘Good Will Hunting’ which brought the writers an Academy Award. In 1997, both co-starred in the movie portraying a mathematics prodigy. Damon played the prodigy Will and Affleck was Will’s best friend, Chuckie. When both received the golden man for writing, they gave an innocently moving speech.
Affleck spoke, “I just said to Matt, ‘Losing would suck, and winning would be really scary.’ And it’s really, really scary …” Since Ben and Matt rose to fame and stardom, they became a regular duo on the screen. They worked together in various movies like ‘Dogma’, ‘Project Green Light’, ‘The Third Wheel’, and ‘Jersey Girl’. Together both have gifted viewers with quality entertainment.
Damon, on ‘Off Camera With Sam Jones’, revealed, “I certainly wouldn’t be here was it not for him.” Damon and Ben have shared many funny moments with each other on the screen too that have trended numerously in media. Both speak of each other fondly.
Damon defended Ben in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter for being “misunderstood” as a superficial actor. In 2016, Ben comically snuck Damon into his long coat in ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’. Over the years Ben has shown plenty of public displays of affection on social media for his bestie by posting throwback pictures. Lately, the actors have revealed that they will be collaborating again for the production of Michael Jordan’s relationship with Nike. The title is yet unknown.
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