Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been close since they were kids. Here's a timeline of their friendship.

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Jessica BoothSep 17, 2020, 23:37 IST
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been close since they were kids. Here's a timeline of their friendship.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck met when they were 10 and 8 years old, respectively.Shutterstock; Frazer Harrison/Getty

  • Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were introduced as kids back in the 1980s, and they've been friends, costars, and writing partners since.
  • As young actors, the friends worked together in "Field of Dreams," "School Ties," and "Glory Daze."
  • They went on to cowrite and costar in "Good Will Hunting," which landed them an Oscar for best screenplay.
  • Damon and Affleck are vocal about their friendship in interviews, and they've been known to hype each other up on social media.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have one of the most famous friendships in Hollywood. The two became close long before they made it big as A-list actors, and they've managed to maintain their relationship for nearly 40 years.

Damon and Affleck have worked together on a few notable projects, but they've also had plenty of cute moments together over the years where they show their support for each other.

Read on for a timeline of some of the best moments from their decades-long friendship.

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1980s: Affleck and Damon met as kids after their moms introduced them.

1980s: Affleck and Damon met as kids after their moms introduced them.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon became friends in the 1980s. Getty / Carlo Allegri

According to a Parade interview from 2007, Affleck first met Damon in the early 1980s when they were 8 and 10, respectively. The two lived two blocks away from each other in Cambridge, Massachusetts, loved baseball and acting, and went on to attend Cambridge Rindge and Latin high school.

"... Before Matt, I was by myself. Acting was a solo activity where I'd just go off and do something, act in a little TV show or something, and no one understood it. None of the other kids knew what it was I did, how it worked, or anything," Affleck told Parade. "All of a sudden, I had this friend, Matt, and he gets it and wants to do it and thinks it's interesting and wants to talk about it. Soon both of us are doing it."

During an appearance on "Conan" in 2019, Damon said Affleck defending him in a fight when they were young really cemented their friendship. Damon was about to get beaten up by a bigger kid in high school, when, at the last second, Affleck fought him off.

"I remember that was like a big moment," Damon said. "He will put himself in a really bad spot for me. This is a good friend."

April 1989: They were both extras in "Field of Dreams."

April 1989: They were both extras in "Field of Dreams."
The friends both had small, uncredited roles in the film. Universal Pictures

Both actors had a few credits under their belts when they worked on their first movie together in 1989. They were uncredited extras in the Fenway Park scene of "Field of Dreams."

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Early 1990s: The two were "drama geeks" in high school, and they got into acting together.

Early 1990s: The two were "drama geeks" in high school, and they got into acting together.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon went to high school together. Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

In 2004, Damon's brother, Kyle, told People that Damon and Affleck "weren't considered cool kids," and that "they were drama geeks."

Affleck also told Parade in 2007 that during high school, the two would regularly travel into New York City together to audition for acting jobs.

"We'd take the train. Or sometimes we'd even take the airplane, back when there was the Eastern Shuttle or People's Express," he said. "It cost like $20 to fly and you could smoke on the plane. We were smoking like idiots because we thought we were really supposed to be grown-up. It was pitiful."

September 1992: They had their first legitimate movie roles together in "School Ties."

September 1992: They had their first legitimate movie roles together in "School Ties."
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck both appeared in "School Ties." Paramount Pictures

Damon and Affleck's first big movie roles together came in 1992 with the film "School Ties."

Damon had a lead role alongside actor Brendan Fraser, and Affleck had a supporting part.

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September 1995: They acted together again in "Glory Daze."

September 1995: They acted together again in "Glory Daze."
Ben Affleck starred in "Glory Daze." Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

In their next film together, "Glory Daze," Affleck starred as the main character — a soon-to-be college grad named Jack — and Damon appeared in a minor role.

1996: They reportedly lived together for a brief time while writing the screenplay for "Good Will Hunting."

1996: They reportedly lived together for a brief time while writing the screenplay for "Good Will Hunting."
Actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon posing for pictures in 1997. Yukio Gion/AP

According to Forbes, Affleck once said that after the two got paid for "School Ties," they thought they were rich and "blew it all in a couple of months."

But one thing they did with the money was rent out a Hansel and Gretel-inspired house in LA's Eagle Rock neighborhood — where they reportedly wrote the screenplay for "Good Will Hunting."

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April 1997: They both appeared in "Chasing Amy."

April 1997: They both appeared in "Chasing Amy."
Ben Affleck starred in "Chasing Amy." Miramax Films

Affleck once again took the lead in the late-1990s rom-com, and Damon appeared in a supporting role.

December 1997: They cowrote and costarred in "Good Will Hunting."

December 1997: They cowrote and costarred in "Good Will Hunting."
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in "Good Will Hunting." Miramax via YouTube

In 1997, "Good Will Hunting" was released, and Affleck and Damon were immediately thrust into stardom.

Damon played the title character, Will, and Affleck played his on-screen best friend.

The movie was a hit, making the actors household names, and it's still what many people know them for.

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March 1998: The friends won their first Oscar together.

March 1998: The friends won their first Oscar together.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck won an Oscar for "Good Will Hunting." Shutterstock

The pair won their first Academy Award in 1998 for best original screenplay for "Good Will Hunting."

They gave a very nervous but memorable acceptance speech, during which Affleck said, "I just said to Matt, 'Losing would suck and winning would be really scary.' And it's really, really scary ..."

November 1999: Their next film together was "Dogma."

November 1999: Their next film together was "Dogma."
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in "Dogma." Lionsgate Films

Damon and Affleck followed up their big "Good Will Hunting" win with the 1999 film "Dogma," an adventure comedy where they played two fallen angels who'd been banished from heaven.

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December 2001: They began producing the documentary "Project Greenlight" together.

December 2001: They began producing the documentary "Project Greenlight" together.
The documentary ran for four seasons on HBO. Reuters

The friends also stepped behind the camera together for the documentary "Project Greenlight."

Damon and Affleck were executive producers of the HBO series, which followed first-time filmmakers who competed for money to complete their projects.

The series ran for four seasons from 2001 to 2015.

May 2002: They partnered up on the big screen for "The Third Wheel."

May 2002: They partnered up on the big screen for "The Third Wheel."
Ben Affleck in "The Third Wheel." Miramax

Affleck had a bigger part in the early-2000s comedy, but Damon also appeared in "The Third Wheel" in an uncredited role.

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2004: The two took a few lighthearted jabs at each other in the media.

2004: The two took a few lighthearted jabs at each other in the media.
It's hard to tell if the slight rift was personal or taken as a joke. Angela Weiss/ Getty Images

Although Damon and Affleck regularly joke around with each other in interviews, a few remarks in the mid-2000s seemed a bit more personal.

In one interview, according to E!, Damon said actors shouldn't "just do blockbusters," and some took it as a jab toward Affleck, who was struggling with big studio roles at the time.

A short time later, when Affleck was hosting "Saturday Night Live," he appeared to reply to his best friend's comment, saying, "I can't seem to recall which Chekhov play 'The Bourne Supremacy' is based on."

This is a reference to the Jason Bourne film series, in which Damon starred as a CIA assassin for over a decade.

March 2004: Damon made a brief appearance in Affleck's film "Jersey Girl."

March 2004: Damon made a brief appearance in Affleck's film "Jersey Girl."
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck starred in "Jersey Girl." Miramax

Affleck starred in the romantic drama, and Damon appeared as PR Exec #2.

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March 2010: Affleck helped honor his friend at the Cinematheque award show.

March 2010: Affleck helped honor his friend at the Cinematheque award show.
Ben Affleck presented the award to his best friend, Matt Damon. GUS RUELAS/Reuters

When Damon received the 24th American Cinematheque Award in 2010, Affleck and his then-wife Jennifer Garner were there to help present the award.

Garner first made a joke about the friendship between the two, saying, "Ben is half of one of the greatest love stories ever told. Not with me. The actual prototype for the great Hollywood bromance … Here's proof that love is alive and well in Hollywood. At least for my darling husband my husband's darling husband, Matt Damon"

When Affleck presented Damon with his trophy, he said, "Matt always said to me, 'Ben, there are two things that are more important to me than anything else in this world.' Folks: 'Fame, money.' You did it, Matty! You got there!"

December 2012: Damon spoke about dealing with false reports that he and Affleck were gay.

December 2012: Damon spoke about dealing with false reports that he and Affleck were gay.
The reports had circulated many years before this interview. AP

In a 2012 interview with Playboy, Damon was asked how he felt about the long-ago speculations that he was in a romantic relationship with Affleck.

He said, "I never denied those rumors because I was offended and didn't want to offend my friends who were gay — as if being gay were some kind of f---ing disease. It put me in a weird position in that sense. The whole thing was just gross."

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September 2015: In an interview, Damon defended Affleck and called him "misunderstood."

September 2015: In an interview, Damon defended Affleck and called him "misunderstood."
Ben Affleck had faced a lot of criticism in the press. Jamie McCarthy/Getty

During a 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Damon said he thinks that Affleck is largely "misunderstood" in the public eye, which has led to some unfair judgment of his character.

"Ten years ago, the public image of him could not have been farther apart from who he actually is. It was like he was being cast in a role, that he was a talentless kind of meathead, with his whole relationship with Jennifer Lopez," he told the publication.

He continued, "He just got cast as this person that he wasn't. It was just really painful. It was painful to be his friend because it wasn't fair, you know?"

February 2016: Affleck snuck Damon on to "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

February 2016: Affleck snuck Damon on to "Jimmy Kimmel Live."
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in 2016. ABC

Jimmy Kimmel has had a fake "feud" with Damon for years, and the two love to joke about it.

During one 2016 interview with Kimmel, Affleck showed up on stage wearing a huge coat clearly stuffed with something. About a minute into the interview, Kimmel unbuttoned Affleck's coat to reveal Damon hiding inside.

The three of them joked about the feud for a few minutes before getting on with Affleck's interview.

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June 2016: The best friends won the "guys of the decade" award and gave another sweet acceptance speech together.

June 2016: The best friends won the "guys of the decade" award and gave another sweet acceptance speech together.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck accepted the award in 2016. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Their bromance was officially recognized at Spike TV's Guys' Choice Awards in 2016.

Per Vanity Fair, while accepting the award for "guys of the decade" with Damon, Affleck said, "I think it goes without saying that this is an award Matt and I have been dreaming about since we were little boys ..."

June 2016: Affleck posted a funny throwback photo of Damon for National Best Friends Day.

June 2016: Affleck posted a funny throwback photo of Damon for National Best Friends Day.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have talked about their friendship on social media. Frazer Harrison/Getty

Damon may not be big on social media, but Affleck is, and he's shared photos of Damon a few times over the years.

In June 2016, he honored his buddy on National Best Friends Day with a throwback photo collage featuring Damon pushing Affleck's face into a cake.

He captioned it, "This guy. #NationalBestFriendsDay."

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January 2017: Affleck described his perfect day, which included Damon.

January 2017: Affleck described his perfect day, which included Damon.
Ben Affleck is open about their friendship in interviews. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

According to Hello Giggles, when Us Weekly asked Affleck to describe a perfect day without work and without kids, he said, "I don't know if that day ever comes. I don't spend too much time just kicking back. On Sundays I like to watch the Patriots with Matt. That's a nice, relaxing day."

February 2017: Damon and Affleck returned to the Oscars stage to present an award together.

February 2017: Damon and Affleck returned to the Oscars stage to present an award together.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon presented the award for best adapted screenplay. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Damon and Affleck returned to the Academy Awards as presenters for the best adapted screenplay award 19 years after they won the Oscar for "Good Will Hunting."

Kimmel was hosting, and he played Damon off the stage as part of their feud.

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March 2018: Damon defended Affleck's tattoo, which was being ridiculed on the internet.

March 2018: Damon defended Affleck's tattoo, which was being ridiculed on the internet.
Matt Damon came to his friend's defense. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

After Affleck was spotted with a giant colorful phoenix tattoo on his back, he was quickly made the butt of online jokes.

Per Time, during a 2018 interview with Trevor Noah for "The Daily Show," Damon defended his friend, saying, "It's not one man's job to tell another man what he can do to his back. I support him in all of his 'artistic expression.'"

November 2019: Damon said that the two will probably write together more in the future.

November 2019: Damon said that the two will probably write together more in the future.
Matt Damon expects to work with Ben Affleck in the future. Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images

During an appearance on "The Bill Simmons Podcast," Damon said he thinks that he and Affleck will continue to write together in the future.

He also talked about why it took so long for them to reunite on a big project, saying, "It was interesting, 'Good Will Hunting' took us such a long time, and we always told ourselves and each other we just don't have time to write."

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October 2018: The friends, plus Kimmel, were photographed at the World Series.

October 2018: The friends, plus Kimmel, were photographed at the World Series.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon cheered for the Red Sox at the 2018 World Series. Jerritt Clark/Getty Images

As lifelong fans of the Boston Red Sox, it was a given that Damon and Affleck would take in the World Series together in 2018. The two went to game five to watch the Red Sox go up against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

They were also joined by Dodger's fan Kimmel, who wore matching "I'm With Stupid" T-shirts with Damon.

November 2018: Damon said he "wouldn't be here" without Affleck.

November 2018: Damon said he "wouldn't be here" without Affleck.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been through a lot together. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

During an interview on "Off Camera With Sam Jones," Damon attributed much of his success and fame to Affleck.

He spoke about how nice it was to have his friend by his side while the two were struggling actors, even though they went up against each other "all the time" for roles.

"I certainly wouldn't be here were it not for him," Damon said.

He also commented on "Good Will Hunting," saying, "People would always say, 'Well who wrote more of the screenplay?' or 'What did you write and what did he write?' and I'd go, 'It's just half.' I can't remember the genesis of every line, because we both wrote every line."

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July 2019: Damon and Affleck announced their on-screen reunion in "The Last Duel."

July 2019: Damon and Affleck announced their on-screen reunion in "The Last Duel."
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are set to star in "The Last Duel." Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

After going years without working together on screen, Damon and Affleck are finally teaming back up for "The Last Duel," which they also wrote together.

Earlier this year, Affleck told Entertainment Tonight that he was a little nervous about the upcoming medieval film since he's never done anything like it before.

"But it was a real pleasure working with Matt and Nicole Holofcener, who wrote the script with us," he said. "[Matt and I] kept saying, 'Why have we not done this more often?'"

March 2020: Affleck joked that it was his own childhood stardom that inspired Damon to become an actor.

March 2020: Affleck joked that it was his own childhood stardom that inspired Damon to become an actor.
Ben Affleck said his childhood roles made Matt Damon jealous. Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

During an interview on SiriusXM's "The Jess Cagle Show," Affleck talked about the roles he took when he was a kid just getting into acting, calling them "cheesy."

He added, "But I did like it, and it did two things. One, it instilled in me a deep love and affection for this art and craft and line of work, and it made Matt Damon so incredibly jealous, it drove him into a career in cinema. So I really take credit for that."

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August 2020: Affleck and Damon were spotted on a double date.

August 2020: Affleck and Damon were spotted on a double date.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon seem to be spending time together during the pandemic. Angela Weiss/ Getty Images

Damon and Affleck showed that their friendship is still going strong when they were recently spotted on a double date in Malibu, California.

TMZ obtained photos of Affleck with his girlfriend, Ana de Armas, hanging out with Damon and his wife, Luciana Barroso.

The four celebrities reportedly went to the beach and had a picnic.

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