What's Inside?
- Ben Affleck explains why joining Stuck With You could have hurt his creative partnership with Matt Damon long term.
- Matt Damon reflects on respecting each other’s career paths and why taking roles away changes the original inspiration.
- The Rip shows Affleck and Damon’s matured chemistry, built on trust, research, and decades of shared Hollywood experience.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have spent three decades growing up together in Hollywood. Their friendship has survived fame, flops, awards, and reinventions. From scrappy beginnings to Oscar nights, they have often shared the screen and the creative load. Yet even the closest collaborators know when not to cross a line. That honesty comes through as the longtime friends promote The Rip, their latest crime thriller. In a candid conversation, they reflect on career choices, creative restraint, and why sometimes the smartest move is knowing when to step back. Their answers feel relaxed, thoughtful, and deeply rooted in trust built over time.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Reflect on a Film Better Left Untouched
When asked which movie from the other’s career they wished they had starred in, Matt Damon took a careful pause. He made it clear that removing a role from Ben Affleck’s path felt wrong. As he put it, “The only problem with that thought exercise is taking that movie away from him; it means that he didn’t get to do it. And the whole inspiration starts with what he did in the movie.”
Affleck, however, had a quick and humorous response. He pointed to Stuck With You, the 2003 Farrelly brothers comedy where Damon played a conjoined twin alongside Greg Kinnear. Laughing, Affleck admitted, “I’ll tell you what I wouldn’t have liked to have done, because I think it would’ve meant we wouldn’t have been able to work together anymore, is play Greg Kinnear’s part in Stuck With You. I think that would’ve been pushing it, trying to lean too much into the narrative.”
Damon instantly agreed, adding, “People would’ve been sick of us forever.” Affleck doubled down on the joke with, “Yeah, they’d be like, ‘That’s it. No more!'” Still, his affection for the film remained clear as he added, “I love that movie, though.”
Despite its star-studded cast and memorable cameos, the film had a modest reception. Affleck’s point was not about quality but balance. Their friendship has always thrived because they avoid overexposure and protect the audience’s goodwill.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Dive Into Trust and Tension in The Rip
That sense of balance is also central to The Rip. In the Netflix thriller, the duo play Miami cops whose bond is tested after they discover millions in hidden drug money. Damon explained the script’s pull simply: “It was a page turner. There are these competing agendas, and people aren’t saying exactly what’s going on, and you’re trying to figure out who you can trust, who you can’t, who’s the good guy, who’s the bad guy.”
Preparation mattered just as much as story. Both actors spent time with real officers to ground their performances. Affleck shared, “All the stuff that I find surprising and that I tend to be proud of comes from research. I think I’m better skilled at recognizing interesting things from the world that I can put into films than just conjuring up from my imagination something to do.”
Damon described the process with warmth and humor, saying, “All of us are there just madly stealing all their life’s details and quirks and wardrobe habits. It’s gotta be a weird feeling when a bunch of actors descend on you and ask like, ‘What kind of glasses are those?’ ‘Where did you get that shirt?'”
With strong supporting performances and a grounded approach, The Rip feels like a natural next chapter. It proves that for Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, collaboration works best when guided by restraint, respect, and a clear sense of when to say no.
