A Complete Guide to Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Friendship

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck might be two of Hollywood’s biggest actors, but they’ve also been close friends for years. The two A-listers have known each other since they were young kids, both growing up in the same Massachusetts town and having a similar interest in acting. These days, the two remain close — here’s a complete look at the duo’s longtime friendship.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been friends for years

Damon and Affleck are two years apart, with Damon being the older of the two. The friends grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Damon once recalled the moment he knew Affleck was going to be a longtime friend. “Little five-foot-two Ben Affleck tackled this dude off of me, like out of nowhere,” Damon said of once getting into a fight and Affleck coming to his defense. He said the incident took place in the mid-1980s. “This is a good friend to have,” Damon said of Affleck.

It was also in the mid-80s that Affleck and Damon realized they wanted to take acting seriously; they auditioned together in New York City, and they both became someone the other one could lean on. It wasn’t until 1989 when the two young men landed their first role together in the movie “Field of Dreams.” Despite that the two were only extras in the film, it was an exciting milestone for their friendship. Finally, in 1992, they made a real appearance on the big screen, starring in “School Ties.”

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Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s ‘Good Will Hunting’ was a landmark in their friendship

Perhaps the duo’s most famous friendship moment was when they co-wrote the 1997 hit film “Good Will Hunting.” The movie is widely regarded as one of the best films from the 1990s and is still popular today. The film was nominated for multiple awards, and it won the 1998 Oscar for “Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.”

Affleck and Damon’s friendship reaches far beyond the 1990s; they have continued writing together through the years. But they’ve also intertwined their personal lives so well, and when Affleck and ex-wife Jennifer Garner went through their divorce in 2015, Damon was a shoulder for Affleck to lean on. “In the same way Jen is turning to her friends, for a long time, Ben has reached out to Matt, who is a true touch point for him,” a source told People. Damon also showed support on several occasions for Affleck’s relationship with Jennifer Lopez.

The men have given credit to one another for major things; Affleck previously said in 2022 that Damon is the reason Affleck has remained picky about the movies he works on, only choosing ones he truly feels something for. Affleck also previously said that Damon’s friendship has helped his mental health.

While the two men have their own careers and personal lives, they’ve managed to keep them intertwined for decades and remain close in the process. Despite both having demanding careers, they’ve embraced their friendship rather than let it fizzle out.