In life, there’s always the sound of people advising us to have a friend who we can completely rely on when it comes to it, and it’s even more important in the film industry, where most relationships are transactional. In this regard, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are a lucky pair since these major stars are also one of the most popular BFF duos known in Hollywood.
Their unbreakable bond of friendship goes way back to when they were just in school and started their journey together as teen actors looking for any work they could get their hands on, and still stay strong to this day. But somewhere along the way, Affleck received a piece of advice that told them to separate themselves from each other or they could never find true success, and he fell for it head first.
Ben Affleck And Matt Damon Were Advised To Go Their Own Way
While they are considered one of the most wholesome and playful pairs of friends in the Hollywood industry, they might also be one of the most successful acting duos since both Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were part of the same breakthrough film that launched their careers, which was 1997’s Good Will Hunting, a film that they wrote themselves which eventually went on to win an Academy Award for the both of them. But even when they became successful together at first, a bit of advice would go on to push them onto their separate ways in the industry.
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In an interview, the former Justice League star opened up about his relationship with his friend, where he talked about how they had recently opened a new indie production company named Artists Equity through mutual understanding and compassion. Here, he also talked about the advice that told him and the Jason Bourne star to separate themselves from each other if they were to create their individual identities and find success, something that he believed was a flawed concept to begin with, telling The Hollywood Reporter:
“I suppose the reason it works is that I trust him and love him, and I know that this is somebody with integrity. In this business, failure is hard, and success is confusing and can make you lose your bearings. Having that friendship as a touchstone over the years was really meaningful. One of the things we reflected on when we did The Last Duel that caused us to want to do this company together was the fact that we wished we’d kept working together more over the years. We fell prey to this idea that, ‘Well, if you don’t individuate your careers and do your own things, people will always associate you together. That will be limiting.’”
Therefore, listening to his heartfelt words for his friend does tell us the importance of such a friend in everyone’s lives.
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What Films Did The Stars Work On Together?
Apart from their exemplary performances in their award-winning film Good Will Hunting, there was a brief time when both Damon and Affleck were not seen together on screen, until 2021’s The Last Duel, and more recently, in 2023’s Air. Looking back at the advice they adhered to, both stars had their own things going on back in the day, but since then, they realized that going their separate ways wasn’t the way to go about achieving success, nor will it ever be, which led to their recent collaborations in the industry.
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Good Will Hunting, streaming on Max.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
