Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have one of the best friendships in Hollywood, having known one another since they were kids. From sharing a bank account, to living together, and even starring in new movies like Air together, the action movie stars have long been inseparable.But when they crossed paths at high school for the first time, when Matt Damon was the big cheese of the theater kids, were a little tense.
Damon recounted the meeting during an appearance on TV series Smartless: On the Road. “When he arrived at the high school, I had to set him straight ’cause I was the lord of that theater department,” he recalled.
In conversation with hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes, Damon explained that Affleck had become something of a celebrity among their peers. This, he explained, was because Affleck had recently starred in an after-school special. “He was like the big star of our school,” Damon added.
But at that point, the Batman actor was only a freshman, and Damon took it upon himself to bring Affleck down to Earth. “I went up to him, like, first day and pulled him up and was like, ‘Hey, you know it’s different here in the theater. You’re not gonna get by on your looks,’ And we were both like, 5 foot 2.”
You can catch these short kings in action in Air, which is now available on the streaming service Amazon Prime Video. And if this story doesn’t convince you, maybe our Air review will. Or, head over to Netflix to catch them in Good Will Hunting, which is widely considered by critics and awards bodies to be one of the best movies of all time.