Ben Affleck is a fan of smash-hit western series Yellowstone for two somewhat surprising reasons; 1) it brings his wife Jennifer Lopez happiness, and 2) his buddy Cole Hauser is finally getting recognition as an actor because of it..
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon appeared on The Bill Simmonds podcast, and they ended up discussing television. “My wife really likes Yellowstone. Part of me thinks she’s really drawn to the romance between Cole Hauser and [Kelly Reilly]. Jen showed me a clip on Instagram of a monologue Beth Dutton has in a car about the ways to become rich. She was like ‘I love this story with these two,’ and I was like, ‘Wait a minute, with Cole [Hauser]?’”
Hauser became friends with Affleck and Damon all the way back in 1992, on the set of School Ties (which also starred Brendan Fraser). Damon and Affleck then cast Hauser in Good Will Hunting (1997), and they form a central quartet of friends along with Ben’s brother Casey Affleck
Damon added that he’s “always mystified that Cole wasn’t a giant movie star.” Even as a 16-year-old on the set of School Ties, Hauser was “the sweetest soul” and is “very deserving” of being part of the Yellowstone cast for six seasons. Hauser is “very convincing as that guy. I think America believes he is Rip,” said Affleck.
After Good Will Hunting, Damon and Affleck remained close friends, but they didn’t make a movie together again until 2021’s The Last Duel. They enjoyed that experience so much, they have reteamed for Air.
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