- Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s relationship goes back decades, when their moms introduced them as kids.
- Affleck told BI at the “The Accountant 2” premiere that he doesn’t have many close friends.
- “You don’t need a million friends. You need a few,” Affleck said.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s decadeslong friendship is precious — just ask Affleck.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” Affleck told reporters at the red carpet premiere of “The Accountant 2” at the SXSW Film & TV Festival Saturday. “You know, I don’t have very many — none of us really have very many friends. You don’t need a million friends. You need a few. You need good ones.”
“I’m really lucky to have had a friend in Matt,” he added.
Affleck and Damon’s friendship extends back to their childhood, when their moms introduced them as kids in the 1980s. They’ve come a long way since working as uncredited extras together on the 1989 Kevin Costner movie “Field of Dreams,” including winning an Oscar together for writing “Good Will Hunting” in 1998.
It’s not just Affleck who’s gushed about their friendship. In 2023, Damon reflected on how his bond with Affleck changed after his dad died in 2017, calling his friendship with Affleck one of “the three most significant partnerships” in his life.
In addition to their busy acting careers — Damon can next be seen leading the stacked cast of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” while Affleck returns for “The Accountant 2” in April — both have thriving behind-the-scenes careers as producers.
In 2022, they founded Artists Equity together, and “The Accountant 2” is one of the films they’ve produced. It’s a far cry from their days sharing a bank account and hoping their power wouldn’t get turned off.
“It’s been very rewarding to create an opportunity for other people, directors and artists, to kind of be able to take responsibility for and manage and have a more creative say in their projects,” Affleck said, adding that “The Accountant 2” director Gavin O’Connor had a strong vision for the film. “We wanted to set him up to succeed, and I feel like this movie, frankly, really validates that approach.”
“The Accountant 2” is in theaters April 25.
