Matt Damon and Ben Affleck may be two peas in a pod, but that doesn’t stop them from ratting each other out when the occasion presents itself. For what seems like an eternity, these two have been known as one of the cutest BFF duos in Hollywood. Affleck and Damon told Interview Magazine that they originally met as children in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “My mother is an early childhood development professor, and she knew Ben’s mother, a preschool teacher, and sought her out after we moved back to Cambridge.” So I was basically compelled to hang out with Ben,” Matt Damon explained. Damon was ten years old at the time, and Affleck was eight, and they struck up a friendship.
The two remained friends over the years, and they appeared in a few movies together, like “Chasing Amy” and “Glory Days,” very early on in their careers. But most of us know that they got their big break by co-writing and co-starring in the hit film, “Good Will Hunting.” Of course, their talents in the movie nabbed them both Oscars and thrust them into superstardom. While they were writing “Good Will Hunting,” the pair spent a lot of time together as roommates. They shared a lot during those years and Damon even admitted on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” that he and Affleck shared a bank account. “It was unusual, but we needed the money for auditions,” Matt Damon explained.
However, they did not share everything when they lived together.
Ben Affleck recalls Matt Damon’s messy living habits.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are really close and like busting each other’s chops. Because the two have been friends for so long, they have a free pass to act like siblings, which Affleck did during an appearance on “The Late Late Show With James Corden.” He didn’t miss an occasion to divulge one of Damon’s not-so-great habits while making the press rounds to promote the film “Air,” in which he co-stars with Matt Damon. “Matt is a lovely young man. I adore him. He’s my best pal. He’s always been wonderful to me. He’s a fantastic individual.
I would not suggest living with him,” he began before things took a turn while he described the type of roommate that Matt Damon is. “Matt’s never paid a bill to this day, that I know of. We’re like, ‘Why are the lights not working?’ and that’s because the utility company needs money to continue to fund our electricity,” he explained.
Another downside? According to Affleck, Matt Damon never took out the garbage, so he and his brother (Casey Affleck) protested to try and get Damon to clean, refusing to take out the trash in hopes Damon would. Sadly, it didn’t work, and Damon went two weeks without taking out the trash. “I look down at this sushi thing that was a week and a half old, and there’s maggots,” Affleck joked. Hey, you can’t be good at everything!
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck still have a lot of love for one another.
Ben Affleck may not have had the best experience living with Matt Damon but he still frequently speaks fondly about his BFF in interviews. “This friendship has been essential and defining and so important to me in my life,” he said in a 2022 interview with Entertainment Weekly. “There were a few critical times, which are private and I don’t want to share, but where your support was so profoundly meaningful to me that I don’t think I would’ve been able to be successful without it.” Stop, you’re making us cry!
Matt Damon also regularly gushes about Affleck and how much his friendship has meant to him. “I’ve known him for 35 years, and we grew up together,” the “Bourne Identity” star told Entertainment Tonight in 2016. “We were both in love with the same thing — acting and filmmaking. I think we fed on each other’s obsession during really formative, important years, and that bonded us for life.”
They also collaborated on “The Last Duel” in 2021, their first time writing together since “Good Will Hunting.” Damon told Entertainment Tonight that they had learned a lot since their first attempt, and the process was considerably smoother this time. He also mentioned that they might write together a lot more in the future. So, while Affleck and Matt Damon will no longer be roommates, their future as co-writers appears bright!
