Ben Affleck and Matt Damon offered an unusually intimate look into their decades-long friendship and careers in a much-anticipated joint interview promoting their latest collaboration, crime-thriller The Rip, set to premiere Friday on Netflix. The discussion provided revealing insights into the origins of their bond, their approach to Hollywood, and how the Ben Affleck Netflix interview shed new light on their personal and professional journeys.
Early Days in Cambridge: The Origins of Lifelong Friendship
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon reflected on their formative years growing up together in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where their friendship began under unusual and formative circumstances—an eight-year-old Ben once helped a ten-year-old Matt stand up to a much older bully. Their childhoods in the city helped instill the drive and resilience that would carry both actors into the competitive world of entertainment.
The pair recounted their struggles after moving to Los Angeles in pursuit of acting careers. Before their breakout success with Good Will Hunting in 1997, they shared a home, split rent, and tried to make ends meet while auditioning for as many roles as possible. Their strategies differed, leading to both conflict and admiration as they navigated the uncertain landscape of Hollywood.
Contrasting Approaches to Stardom and Career Choices
Affleck was candid about his willingness to pursue nearly every acting opportunity as he sought financial stability in the early days:
“I wanted to be able to make a living as an actor,”
– Ben Affleck, Actor
Damon, meanwhile, revealed a more selective strategy:
“One of us had to pay rent,”
– Matt Damon, Actor
The conversation included lighthearted moments about their contrasting paths. Affleck recalled his surprise at Damon’s disciplined focus, admitting he initially struggled to understand his friend’s decisions but eventually saw the wisdom in Damon’s approach:
“I thought he was fucking nuts,”
– Ben Affleck, Actor
“He’d be like, ‘I don’t want to do that movie. I don’t like it,’ … and I’d be like, ‘You don’t have any money! We’re broke, dude!’”
– Ben Affleck, Actor
Affleck noted with some self-reflection that his strategy led to a mix of career highlights and roles he later regretted. Damon, for his part, felt their prudence generally served them well:
“I realized that I was wrong. The actual way to approach it is what Matt did — it’s just exceptionally difficult,”
– Ben Affleck, Actor
“Early on in my career, I did some movies I really like, and I did some movies that, in retrospect, I’m not particularly proud of, but they were paying like a million dollars, two million dollars,”
– Ben Affleck, Actor
Their discussion illustrated the challenge of remaining true to one’s principles in an industry often defined by financial pressures and volatile opportunities:
“I don’t know how you came to have that discipline so early on,”
– Ben Affleck, Actor
Damon acknowledged that their shared situation provided some leeway:
“Well, we had enough. We had the rent covered,”
– Matt Damon, Actor
Affleck contrasted his own experience, referencing a project he took for financial security:
“Still, you turned down movies — even turned down the opportunity to audition for movies — that 99.9 percent of other young actors wouldn’t have. I did this horror movie — a Dean Koontz sewer monster movie called ‘Phantoms’ — because it was 250 grand, and I thought I would be set for life, you know?”
– Ben Affleck, Actor
“You wouldn’t have done that movie — and that’s just the truth.”
– Ben Affleck, Actor
Building Success and Reflecting on Good Will Hunting
The actors reminisced about their journey to fame, from the neighborhoods of Boston to Oscar night. Their conversation described the years spent perfecting the screenplay for Good Will Hunting, which Damon started writing during his time at Harvard University. The film was a breakthrough for the duo, elevating them from unknowns to Oscar-winning writers and actors.
The uncertainty and excitement of the night they won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay came flooding back, particularly the improvisational nature of their acceptance speech:
“We never, ever had a conversation between ourselves about what we would say,”
– Matt Damon, Actor
“Honestly, it was like each of us knew deep down that, if we had that conversation and didn’t win, in 50 years we’d be at some bar in Boston going, ‘Can you fucking believe we wrote an Oscar speech? You jackass.’”
– Matt Damon, Actor
Affleck reflected on this with a mix of embarrassment and humor:
“Every time I see that [speech], I think, ‘What a noodge,’”
– Ben Affleck, Actor
“I thanked Boston as a city, three times. Was that necessary?”
– Ben Affleck, Actor
Their reflections conjured the unpredictability and emotion that surrounded their rise. During the interview, Howard Stern recalled, with laughter, a moment from that speech:
“I think you thanked Cuba Gooding Jr.,”
– Howard Stern, Host
Affleck responded in agreement and noted his tendency to speak from the heart, if not always with preparation:
“It would’ve been smart to think about what I was going to say in front of the whole world.”
– Ben Affleck, Actor
Memorable Roles, Collaborations, and Career Turns
The interview turned to past roles and the lessons both actors drew from working in Hollywood. Damon spoke about his small role as a day player in Julia Roberts’ rom-com Mystic Pizza:
“I knew I was where I wanted to be.”
– Matt Damon, Actor
Both men agreed that short stints in films were particularly challenging for actors, but even brief appearances could stand out. Damon recounted an encounter with Pedro Pascal on the set of The Adjustment Bureau (with Emily Blunt), describing Pascal’s standout yet ultimately cut performance as a maitre d’:
“I did a movie with Emily Blunt called ‘The Adjustment Bureau,’ and there was this throwaway part with the maitre d’ — it got cut out of the movie — but I remember … this maitre d’ walked away, and they cut, and we both looked at each other and go, ‘That guy was really fucking good,’”
– Matt Damon, Actor
“There was something incredibly interesting, and real, but natural,”
– Matt Damon, Actor
“Years later, I found out it was Pedro Pascal. [He was] not even a day player with really anything else to do, just his presence — we both recognized it immediately.”
– Matt Damon, Actor
The Personal Behind the Professional: Family, Friendship, and Candid Revelations
In moments of levity, Damon revealed a personal anecdote about his wife, Luciana Barroso, and how her first impression after watching Good Will Hunting almost favored Affleck:
“After we’d been together for probably a few months, I met her best friend from high school, and it came out that the two of them went and saw ‘Good Will Hunting’ together, and her best friend thought I was the cute one, and she thought Ben was the cute one,”
– Matt Damon, Actor
“She admitted [it] to me. I’m like, ‘You got the wrong one?’”
– Matt Damon, Actor
Their bond goes beyond friendship. Luciana is actively producing two upcoming films for Affleck, including Animals and The Rip, highlighting the close-knit ties that continue to influence both their careers:
“She’s a great producer and a really good friend,”
– Ben Affleck, Actor
The conversation shifted back to The Rip, focusing on the physical demands of the production and their transformation for the roles. Howard Stern praised their commitment to authenticity, to which Affleck responded honestly:
“That’s part of the job. You gotta change your body somewhat, so that it’s just believable. As I’ve gotten older, that’s the hardest part of the job, frankly,”
– Ben Affleck, Actor
“Meeting with people in their lives is really interesting. The gym is only so interesting.”
– Ben Affleck, Actor
Looking Ahead: The Rip Debuts and Enduring Influence
The emotional and candid Ben Affleck Netflix interview with Matt Damon highlighted the deep-rooted friendship, creative decisions, and personal journeys that shaped their lives and work. The impact of their shared history is evident in each story, from the neighborhoods of Boston to the height of Hollywood acclaim.
With The Rip set for release on January 16, both actors stand as an example of enduring collaboration in an industry where longevity is rare. Their reflection on the past, candid revelations about mistakes, humorous exchanges, and the influence of those close to them, such as Luciana Barroso, illustrate how their partnership has enriched not only their careers but also the broader cinematic landscape. Audiences can expect their new film to showcase the same commitment and authenticity that have defined their work for decades.
