'Weird thing in retrospect': Ben Affleck and Matt Damon get candid on sharing one bank account during years of struggle
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: From ‘School Ties’ to ‘Good Will Hunting' to the upcoming film ‘Air’, BFFs for life, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, have never allowed anything to stand in the way of their friendship, not even money. Even their money accounts have benefited from Affleck and Damon's collaborative artistic endeavors.
In a recent episode of ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast’, the Oscar winners revealed that starting in the late 1980s, they shared a bank account in addition to their Boston residence. In 1998, the two Boston actors co-wrote and co-starred in the film ‘Good Will Hunting'.
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‘You were allowed to take out $10’
The dynamic duo adopted a "all for one and one for all" philosophy during their difficult years in Beantown in the 1980s. Nonetheless, the two buddies, who grew close in high school, were supporting each other's acting careers for a very long time before they achieved mainstream fame. "It was unusual, but we needed the money for auditions," Damon, 50, said of sharing his money with the 'Air' director, calling it a "weird thing in retrospect."
However, he noted, "As long as one of us had money, we knew that the power wasn't going to get shut off." "I remember after doing Geronimo, I was like, f**k, I probably had like 35 grand in the bank. I was like [to Affleck], 'We're good! We're good for a year!'" added Damon.
Ever since their friendship bloomed, the two have their own guidelines for spending money on things other than necessities for their careers. "You were allowed to take out $10 and get quarters and go to [the arcade] and play video games. Eventually we were allowed to try to buy beer, which never f—-ing worked. I think that attitude really helped us in ways we couldn't anticipate," Affleck said. He added, "Matt and I always felt like we're in it together. Like, 'Hey, I want to get the part, but I want you to get the part [too]."
Two peas in a pod
Affleck and Damon attended the same high school and met while they were growing up in Boston. Together, they began attending auditions, and in 1992, they made their film debut in 'School Ties'. In the years that followed, they continued to work as co-stars in movies like 1997's 'Good Will Hunting', for which they were nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
They recently appeared together in Ridley Scott's historical action movie 'The Final Duel' (2021), which also starred Adam Driver and Jodie Comer. In the newest movie 'Air', which Affleck directed, they both play the lead roles. The movie releases in theaters on April 5 and marks the debut of their brand-new production firm, Artists Equity.
