Ben Affleck Reflects on Friendship With Matt Damon During SXSW Festival

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon reunited at the 2025 South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. On March 8, the “Good Will Hunting” stars were seen at Affleck’s premiere of “The Accountant 2,” People reported.

Damon, who is one of the producers of the movie, was there in support of his longtime friend. “It’s a beautiful thing. You know, I don’t have very many — none of us really have very many friends. You don’t need a million friends. You need a few good ones. And I’m really lucky to have had a friend in Matt,” Affleck told People. He added, “I’m lucky to have friends like that in my life.”

In pictures shared by ExtraTV on Instagram, Affleck and Damon posed with their arms around each other. The Batman portrayer wore a light beige jacket and a maroon striped tie, while the “Jason Bourne” star wore a black shirt and sported a gray beard.

“Ben and Matt looking really good. I can’t wait to watch it,” a fan gushed on Instagram.

Affleck Related to His Character in ‘The Accountant 2’ on a Deep Level

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“The Accountant” centers around an autistic man named Christian Wolff who helps audit the businesses of criminals to uncover missing finances, but Affleck connected to his character’s more emotional side.

“I think that that’s what’s really moving and interesting about this guy; he’s a very vulnerable character. Yes, on the one hand, he’s got strengths, and skills and talents that are really interesting and exceptional. But at the end of the day, what allows people in to a story is he’s trying to find a connection,” Affleck told USA Today at SXSW.

Affleck said of his character, “He wants to have love in his life. He wants to meet a woman that he can have a connection with. And he sees other people having this, and he knows it’s something that matters to him. He’s not quite sure how to do it.”

The actor said to USA Today, “I think a lot of us have felt that way at times.” Affleck added, “The idea of, ‘How do we try to get along with our friends and family, people even closest to us?’ Sometimes you miss each other, or we hurt each other’s feelings.”

Affleck and Damon’s collaboration for “The Accountant 2” is their latest joint project, and since starring in 1997’s “Good Will Hunting,” the two friends have continued to be a force in Hollywood.

Affleck Said Damon Helped Him With His Career

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Since winning their first Oscar award for “Good Will Hunting,” Affleck and Damon went on to have their respective successful careers, but always remained close.

In a 2022 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Affleck described being unhappy with his role in “Justice League” but rediscovering his love of acting because of Damon. “I want to do the things that would bring me joy. Then we went and did ‘Last Duel’ and I had fun every day on this movie,” he said.

He added, “I wasn’t the star, I wasn’t likable. I was a villain. I wasn’t all the things I thought I was supposed to be when I started out, and yet it was a wonderful experience. And it was all just stuff that came along that I wasn’t chasing.”

Affleck told his longtime friend, “If you’re smart, you learn from people who are really good. And I think our friendship helped kind of inculcate that knowledge in me. We were very generous and open with stuff. Being around other people that you liked and respected and were smart just made you better.”