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Jennifer Lopez & Matt Damon Prove Their Bond Is Strong Amid Her Divorce
Matt Damon didn’t hesitate to embark on this odyssey.
Indeed, the actor, who has been busy filming Christopher Nolan’s new movie The Odyssey in Morocco, didn’t just show up to support Ben Affleck at The Accountant 2’s SXSW premiere—he also showed out in a transformed new look.
While attending the March 8 premiere, Matt—who will play Odysseus in the star-studded epic—donned an all-black outfit, complete with a short-sleeved button down, pants and sneakers. Most notably, though, the 54-year-old sported flowy salt-and-pepper hair slicked back and a full matching beard and mustache.
Though Matt, whose wife Luciana Barroso also joined in at the premiere, has been wearing a beard since September 2024, his latest appearance debuted a much longer hair length, both on his head and his face.
Ben—who has been besties with Matt since their childhood in Massachusettes—stood alongside his Good Will Hunting cowriter rocking a trimmed brunette beard and crew cut. He also wore a khaki coat over a gray suit, paired with brown shoes.
And while the longtime friends certainly showcased their mutual interest in fashion while on the red carpet, Ben is also open to revisiting some of his past projects with Matt.
“Bill Knight the later years,” Ben exclusively told E! News’ Francesca Amiker at the premiere about a possible sequel to his 2023 film Air. “Or maybe Good Will Hunting 2. Matt's around here somewhere. They get the old man version of Good Will Hunting.”
But drama isn’t the only genre the Oscar winners are into. In fact, Ben and Matt have made sure to make fun projects together, too—including Ben’s Dunkin’ commercials as the DunKing.
Michael McKinney/Shutterstock
“He's nice enough to be nice about it,” Ben continued. “We have fun. Our company has an advertising agency, and we've been doing work with Dunkin’, and it's been really fun and rewarding.”
He added of his friendship with Matt, “We’re finding ways to enjoy ourselves.”
Read on to look back at Ben and Matt’s friendship over the years.
Miramax Films
Hometown Kids
Damon and Affleck share a scene as troubled genius Will and his devoted childhood pal Chuckie in their breakout hit Good Will Hunting, which was nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Damon, Best Supporting Actor for Robin Williams and Best Original Screenplay.
SGranitz/Getty Images
Made It
Awards season heats up in 1998 as Ben and Matt walk the carpet at the Golden Globes, celebrating Good Will Hunting's four nominations.
HAL GARB/AFP/Getty Images
Hey, We Won!
Affleck and Damon pose with their first Golden Globes, Best Screenplay for Good Will Hunting. Affleck won another, in 2013, for directing Argo, and Damon won in 2016, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, for The Martian.
AFP PHOTO/Timothy A. Clary
Thank You, Boston!
Best Original Screenplay winners Affleck and Damon make sure to give a shout-out to their formative hometown, which helped inspire the first-ever movie they wrote together, Good Will Hunting.
Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage
Golden Men
Damon and Affleck relish their Oscar win in 1998.
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Prettiest Gals in the Room
Affleck and Damon show off their Oscar night dates—moms Chris Affleck and Nancy Carlsson-Paige—in 1998.
View Askew
For Laughs
Damon and Affleck teamed up as fallen angels Loki and Bartleby in Kevin Smith's 1999 comedy Dogma.
Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage
Just a Couple of Dudes
Matt and Ben dress down in Miami Beach in 2006.
E. Charbonneau/WireImage for Focus Features
Super Men
Damon supports his buddy in 2006 at a screening of Hollywoodland, in which Affleck played George Reeves, the tragic actor who played Superman in the 1950s-era TV series.
John Parra/WireImage
Date Night
Both pals got married in 2005, and in 2008 they enjoyed a night out all together in Miami Beach. Affleck and Jennifer Garner, who have three children together, split up in 2015 and eventually
divorced in 2018. Damon and wife Luciana, parents of four daughters, will celebrate 15 years of marriage in December 2020.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Same Old, Same Old
Matt and Ben hang out, 'cause that's what they do.
Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty Images
You Earned It, Buddy
Naturally, Affleck was among the stars who feted (and roasted) Damon while presenting him with the American Cinematheque Award in 2010.
"I kind of started out at the same time as the guy, so this is a special night for me, too," Ben quipped.
Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic
Best Buds
They always look ready for a marathon poker tournament.
Angela Weiss/Getty Images
Creative Control
The chums celebrate the return after 10 years of Project Greenlight, their HBO series about bringing indie films to fruition, in 2014.
Todd Williamson/Getty Images for Swisher Productions
Family Matter
Affleck is on hand to support brother Casey Affleck and honorary brother Damon at the 2014 premiere of Manchester by the Sea, which Affleck and Damon co-produced and for which Casey would go on to win the Oscar for Best Actor (and forget to thank Ben, which turned into a whole funny thing).
Angela Weiss/Getty Images
The Good Shepherds
Affleck and Damon are on hand to support Project Greenlight's season four winner, The Leisure Class, at the film's 2015 premiere.
Nicola Bailey for The New York Times
Good Will Reading
Affleck and Damon reprised their roles as Chuckie and Will for a live reading of Good Will Hunting in 2016, and enlisted some of their talented friends to sit in, including John Krasinski, who narrated; Emily Blunt playing Skylar; Keegan-Michael Key as Billy; and Margo Martindale filling the mighty shoes of the late Robin Williams as Dr. Maguire.
Wingman
Damon celebrates Affleck landing the Caped Crusader cowl in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and ensuing DC Universe films, 20 years after both actors auditioned for and didn't get the role of Robin back when Tim Burton was making Batman movies. (The sidekick eventually showed up in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever.)
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
We're Back!
Affleck and Damon reunite at the Oscars in 2017 to present the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, 19 years after their momentous win.
Matt Sayles/Invision/AP
Wait, What?
And here they are looking as amazed as anybody to see that Moonlight was the actual Best Picture winner instead of La La Land.
Sporting Scene
Matt and Ben enjoy a night out with fellow Boston sports nut Bill Simmons.
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images
What Curse?
The lifelong Red Sox fans got emotional celebrating their team's 2018 World Series title.
David Fisher/Shutterstock
Buona Sera
Affleck and Damon hit the 2021 Venice Film Festival in support of The Last Duel, their first screenwriting collaboration since Good Will Hunting.
Gary Miller/WireImage
Slam Dunk
The Artists Equity co-founders celebrate the March 2023 premiere of Air at SXSW, the first film from their new studio. The feel-good true story stars Damon as Nike rep Sonny Vaccaro, the visionary who got a just-drafted Michael Jordan to sign with the shoe company in 1984 by convincing the future NBA superstar's mom (Viola Davis) that they were the right fit for her son. Affleck plays Nike founder Phil Knight.
A bazillion pairs of Air Jordans sold later...
JC Olivera/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images
Walking on Air
In addition to co-starring and producing, Air marks Damon's first time acting with Affleck behind the camera.
"He's a brilliant director, people are aware," Damon gushed to E! News about his pal at the film's L.A. premiere. "But it was really great working with him and I'm looking forward to doing it again soon."
Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
Accounting on Friendship
The Martian star attended the March 2025 SXSW premiere of his producing partner's new film The Accountant 2, and debuted a longer version of his beard in the process.
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