Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Reunite in “Air”: Why the “Feel-Good Movie” Almost Didn’t Happen
With Michael Jordan’s’s blessing, the new film” AIR ,” starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, brings old friends back together.
It is well known that Affleck and Damon have been close buddies for many years, dating back to when they were both 10 years old. Both stars have stated in prior interviews that they both had a love of acting at ages young, which drew them to one another.
Affleck joked that he has been directing Damon since high school during a Q & A following an” AIR” screening in New York.
According to IndieWire, he said,” I’ve’ve carried him before.
Ben Affleck, left, and Matt Damon attend the world premiere of “AIR.”(Photo by Gary Miller/WireImage)
It might seem like he’s’s directed me for the first time, Damon chuckled. He was like,” Dude, I think you should do it like this ,” during one of our high school plays.
He continued,” He’s’s been directing me for about 40 years.”
The two have previously collaborated, with” Good Will Hunting” serving as their standout performance.
Affleck, now 25, and Damon, who were both neighbors at the time, co-wrote the movie together.
Ben Affleck, left, and Matt Damon hold up their Oscars after winning in the Original Screenplay Category during the 70th Academy Awards.( TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Affleck previously stated in Forbes magazine that” 800 men came and stayed with us and got drunk while we rented this house on the beach in Venice.”
Then we had to find an apartment because we were short on cash. It was enjoyable, like, it, he said. As a result, we lived in Glendale and Eagle Rock as well as in West Hollywood, Venice, and the Hollywood Bowl, among other places. Depending on who had capital, we might be expelled from some locations or forced to purchase or drop.
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In addition to sharing an apartment, Affleck and Damon already had a lender account. The two admitted they adopted an” all for one and one for all” strategy during an episode of” The Bill Simmons Podcast.” We were going to support each other and be it for one another, Affleck declared. You won’t be only, it was like. I won’t be doing this only; let’s’s go outside and work together.
Damon continued,” We knew the power wouldn’t be turned off as much as one of us had cash.”
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been friends for decades.(Getty Images)
Before they had any credit to their companies, Affleck and Damon used the publication of” Good Will Hunting” to secure a different room, according to Us Weekly.
” I recall that we were going to receive$ 600,000 on it when it was published in Daily Variety. We went to rent this house, which was$ 3,000 per month, and we used a copy of the Daily Variety to get the place, according to Affleck. I don’t had payment, but this is who we are, I was saying. The landlord then said,” All right, sure.”
After the success of” Good Will Hunting ,” Affleck recently acknowledged that he avoided working with Damon because it would be” limiting” to always be associated as a duo.
Ben Affleck, left, and Matt Damon attend the “AIR” world premiere during the 2023 SXSW Conference and Festivals at The Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas.(Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for SXSW)
Affleck told The Hollywood Reporter,” One of the things we thought about when we finished” The Last Duel” that made us want to work with this company together was the fact that we wished we had continued to collaborate over time. We succumbed to the notion that people will consistently associate you with one another if you don’t differentiate your profession and take care of your own affairs. That will be constrained.
He said,” That was advice we received.”
Affleck added that he understood the significance of his about 40-year companionship with Damon to the outlet, saying,” I suppose the reason it works is that I trust and love him, and I know that this is someone with dignity.” Failure is challenging in this line of work, and achievement can be perplexing and lead to confusion. It was extremely valuable to use that connection as a yardstick over time.
Artists Equity, the Affleck and Damon’s’s original construction company, produced” AIR.”
Last year, at a news conference for the show, Damon admitted that the movie would not have been made without Oscar winner Viola Davis.
Damon declared,” If we can’t get Viola Davis, we’re’re not going to make the movie.”
Affleck acknowledged that” it has been an aspiration of me to lead her in a show.” The actor’s’s dream of directing Davis came true, and he was already able to direct Damon.
Ben Affleck, left, directs his longtime friend, Matt Damon, for the first time in “AIR.”(Photo by Gary Miller/WireImage)
” Movie is not a singular form of art; it is creative.” You need good partners because it depends on many people. When casting, it’s’s all about giving your players the tools they need to deliver their best work. And with players of this caliber, that procedure is more about simply getting out of the way ,” Affleck said while grinning.
MICHAEL JORDAN’S BIG ASK FOR” AIR” IS DISCUSSED BY BEN AFFLECK:” HAS TO BE VIOLA DAVIS.”
However, it certainly helps when someone like Viola Davis shows up and instantly improves your film 100 years.
Affleck continued,” And that’s’s also true of Matt. It was a pleasure to very direct him and learn more about him as an artist.” He is really, very brilliant. The fact that my oldest partner and I work up and are in the same industry makes me feel extremely fortunate. In that way, we are equally blest.
From left to right, Ben Affleck, Viola Davis and Matt Damon at the World Premiere of “AIR” on March 27.(Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety)
During the news conference, Damon remarked that working with Affleck in a different way was extremely challenging for him.
Damon said,” Obviously, we’ve’ve written and produced together over the decades, but working as a director with him was absolute joy and so artistically rewarding.”
We were quite at ease with one another because we tend to have matching sensibilities about what is and isn’t working in a scene. And I collaborated with another heavy acting hero on this throw every day. It was the most enjoyable movie experience I’ve’ve ever had, and it just doesn’t get any better than that, he continued.
Viola Davis portrays Michael Jordan’s mother, Deloris Jordan, in “AIR.”(Photo by Steve Kagan)
Deloris Jordan, Michael Jordan’s’s mother, is portrayed by Davis in the movie, which describes how Nike signed a younger Jordan to an iconic shoes offer that would forever alter the industry and popular culture.
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Even though Affleck claimed that working with Davis has been a” lifelong career ambition ,” casting her was not just an option for him and Damon. Later, Damon made a joke, saying,” He didn’t feel that way about working with me!”
The manager teased that he was told by marketing handlers to say things like that and remarked that working with everyone was like” walking on air.”
Instead of letting a sizable portion of the money come to actors and directors, Damon and Affleck’s’s new construction company aims to make the experience of working on movies” more equitable” for the crew, including cinematographers, costume designers, and more.
“AIR” launches Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s production company, Artists Equity.(Photo by JC Olivera)
In the end, the set and crew’s’s love for the story being told is evident on display.
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You may leave the theater with a leave in your stage, Damon continued, adding,” This is really for everyone, we used to contact them I guess felt great movies.”
Wednesday saw the release of” AIR” in theaters, followed by Amazon Prime.
Elizabeth Stanton of Fox News Digital contributed to this article.
Fox News Digital’s’s television writer is Janelle Ash.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
