Ben Affleck says his “sanity and mental health” have “really benefitted” from having Matt Damon as a friend.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon
The two actors grew up together in Boston and later went on to have their big break in Hollywood at the same time with Oscar-winning film 'Good Will Hunting', and Ben has now said entering the spotlight alongside one of his closest friends has helped him cope with the pressures of fame.
Gushing over his pal, 49-year-old Ben said: "I can't speak for Matt, but my own kind of sanity and mental health really benefited from having someone who I grew up with and knew as a child who was also going through something similar - this 20-year-plus journey of being in the public eye - who I could reflect on it with honestly, talk things over with, be myself with, who I knew why we were friends, why he was interested and loved me, why I loved him.
“I often think of people who just become successful and then get thrust into this, and I think, 'How do they do it without having somebody that they can talk to? Who they can trust? Who knew them before?' It's just been such an asset to me - and, I think, I hope, to Matt - this relationship that we've had.”
And it seems Matt, 50, feels the same way about Ben, as he said he hopes their friendship will stand the test of time.
He added in his new profile for GQ magazine: "Like, I don't want to be his friend in public, you know what I mean? It's way too important a friendship for that, and it goes so beyond this career or anything. You know, it's a significant part of my life and not for public consumption in that way."
Meanwhile, Ben previously joked that Matt only pursued an acting career because he was jealous of Ben for landing a role in a series called 'The Voyage of Mimi' when he was a kid.
The ‘Justice League’ star said: "I was seven or eight, and ended up getting the part ... Periodically, I would leave town, and go do this series, 'The Voyage of the Mimi'. And it was cheesy, and I was embarrassed about it. It wasn't like I was coming back home and being like, 'You guys gotta see this! I'm so cool!'
"But I did like it, and it did two things. One it instilled in me a deep love and affection for this art and craft and line of work, and it made Matt Damon so incredibly jealous, it drove him into a career in cinema. So I really take credit for that."
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