Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are two iconic Hollywood friends whose bond was first forged in childhood.
Affleck, now 52, and Damon, 53, first met at ages eight and 10 when they lived near each other in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The future Oscar winners quickly bonded over their love of acting.
Following his latest separation from Jennifer Lopez, Affleck has been leaning on his best friend, who is happily married to Luciana Barroso, with whom he shares three daughters.
Affleck and Damon’s unbreakable bond was demonstrated in an adorable photo booth snap of the pair as teenagers.
The two future stars looked angelic as they posed for the camera, with Damon flashing a wide smile while Affleck beamed as he hugged his best friend.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are two iconic Hollywood friends whose bond was first forged in childhood (photo from 2012)
Damon previously said in a 2019 interview that the pair became friends after Affleck stood up for him in a fight against an older boy at school.
He said: “I remember it was a great moment. He would put himself in a very difficult situation for me. He’s a good friend.”
Their first appearance together on the big screen came in 1989, when they were two of approximately 3,000 uncredited extras in Kevin Costner’s film Field of Dreams.
Damon told the Los Angeles Times in 1999: “Ben has always had incredible charisma. People are just getting to know him through the movies.”
‘It’s hard to think of your best friend as a movie star, but the fact that he is one (is due to) the extent to which parts of his true self come through.
“He’s someone everyone wants to be around.”
The duo rose to public prominence when they won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1998 for their film Good Will Hunting, in which they both acted and wrote.
Affleck told Boston Magazine that the pair had considered going their separate creative paths, saying: ‘For a while, we thought maybe we should just chill out and do other things, and not be Matt and Ben, Matt and Ben.
Affleck and Damon’s unbreakable bond was demonstrated in an adorable photo of the couple taken in a photo booth when they were teenagers. The two future stars looked angelic as they posed for the camera.
Affleck and Damon are childhood friends who rose to fame after writing and co-starring in the hit 1997 drama Good Will Hunting.
‘We have our company together, we’re developing together. And Matt lives down the street from me, like he used to. His kids live with him, like we used to live with our parents. The only difference is that we have swimming pools.
Other projects they have worked on together include The Last Duel and Air.
As well as supporting Ben through the break-up, Matt also supported his friend in his battle with alcoholism. The Daredevil star revealed in 2015 that he had turned to drink amid his failing marriage, although he has since quit drinking.
Damon told ET in 2016: “I’ve known him for 35 years and we grew up together. We were both in love with the same thing: acting and making movies.”
“I think we fed off each other’s obsession for some really formative and important years and it bonded us for life.”
Rumors flew throughout the summer that Affleck and Lopez’s relationship was on the brink of collapse, culminating in her finally filing papers to dissolve their union on their second wedding anniversary, August 22.
The mother of two filed to end her marriage to Affleck on August 20, which coincided with the anniversary of their second wedding in Georgia in 2022.
The day after making her first social media post since filing for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences,” the Let’s Get Loud singer maintained a stoic expression as she made her first public appearance in weeks.
Meanwhile, Ben’s ex-wife Jennifer filed for divorce last week.
According to legal documents filed without a lawyer, their official separation date was in April.
They had been separated for weeks before she filed for divorce, but the estranged couple was spotted on several rare outings together in the intervening time.
Her latest sighting also comes after it was revealed she no longer feels “comfortable” living in the Beverly Hills mansion she and Affleck once shared with their children.
Earlier this month, as rumors swirled about the status of Affleck and Lopez’s marriage, Damon said he “could never imagine living like” his famous friend.
Matt said it was fortunate that his personal life had been largely ignored because his 19-year marriage to Luciana was considered “boring.”
Promoting his new film The Instigators, in which he stars alongside Ben’s brother Casey, 49, Matt said: Radio Time Podcast:25 years ago, gossip magazine culture was huge, but I was ignored.
“It wasn’t an exciting story; the guy who’s married, he’s boring! Scandal and sex, that’s what people read in magazines. I’ve been very lucky.”
She continued: “Especially when I look at Casey’s brother, Ben. We’ve had parallel careers in many ways, but I can’t imagine living under that scrutiny for 25 years.”
Affleck has recently been “dating” Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s daughter, Kathleen “Kick,” amid his divorce from Lopez.
The old friends at the premiere of their film Air last year
The Good Will Hunting actor has been spotted with Kick, 36, on several outings, a source told the outlet.
The source claimed the couple spent time at the Polo Lounge, located in the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel, as well as other spots popular with celebrities.
Although the two have been seen together, the nature of Ben and Kick’s relationship is currently unknown.