Matt Damon reveals why he hadn’t collaborated with Ben Affleck since Good Will Hunting
Actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who have collaborated for their upcoming film The Last Duel, had raised the bar for themselves when they wrote the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. The Robin Williams-starrer earned nine nominations at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. But surprisingly, it wasn’t the high expectations that kept Damon and Affleck from working together again, for according to the former, it was simply a matter of planning.
At the New York City premiere of their upcoming film, Damon told E! News that he and Affleck “assumed (writing) would be so time-consuming that we would never be able to do it”.
The Talented Mr Ripley (1999) actor went on to explain that between his family and Affleck’s, they thought they would “never find the time” to write another script like Good Will Hunting. But, they realised, “If we just work during hours that we could easily carve out, we could get a lot done.”
It turned out the project wasn’t as difficult as they anticipated, as Damon shared, “We wrote it faster than we thought we would.”
Affleck added that he feels fortunate to have Damon not just as a collaborator, but as a friend, too.
“I grew up with this guy, I have known him forever. We are from the same world and place, and stayed close and I often think about people who come into this business and there are some challenges that get thrown at you,” he explained.
“You’re lucky if you get to do the job you love and luckier if it’s with people that you love,” he added.
Damon’s support for Affleck extends to his friend’s love life as well. He remarked that he is “happy” that Affleck has found love with singer Jennifer Lopez and said, “I’m happy for them... We all deserve love, why not them?”