Matt Damon reveals how he helped Ben Affleck through addiction struggles after divorce
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are lifelong friends, so when the latter was struggling with alcohol addiction, he knew he had someone in his corner he could turn to.
The actors appeared on The Howard Stern Show yesterday (12 January), and Affleck revealed that becoming famous together meant they could at least have someone else to relate to over how crazy things could be.
"We got to a good place pretty early on where... I think that's kind of why we're as sane as we are - to what degree that is, you be the judge," Affleck said of being able to help each other through fame, fortune and foibles.
"But getting famous or successful together and having someone to turn to and go, 'Is this nuts or what?' or to say, 'What are you doing?'"
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Damon suggested that finding fame could do a number on a person, as he suggested 'your evolution does get stunted at the moment you become famous because the world treats you differently'.
The lead of Good Will Hunting suggested that he and co-star Affleck were fortunate that before they found fame, they had 'a handful of years under our belt where we would walk into a room and not turn any heads'.
Their lives of fame have thrown several challenges their way, including Affleck's two divorces from Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez, and Stern asked Damon if he still felt like someone who could show up for his friend and say 'I'm here to help you'.
Damon said: "Oh, yeah, our relationship isn't affected by what people are saying. I was there for all of it."
Affleck, who has spoken about his struggles with alcohol addiction, said that his friend's helping presence in his life 'means a lot to me' and he considered Damon an example of 'what a real friend is'.
The pair have been friends since Damon was 10 and Affleck was 8, introduced by their mums, who were teachers who knew each other.
Since then, there have been ups and downs, but they've consistently remained friends and been there for each other during difficult times, though one moment which really stretched their friendship was living together.
Anyone who has lived with a friend will know the strain that sharing a fridge can put on a friendship, and Damon lived with Affleck and his brother, Casey, in Los Angeles for a time.
According to Affleck on The Late Late Show With James Corden in 2023, Damon does have a flaw that he 'blocks out' the idea that 'when you finish with something, it has to be washed or thrown away'.
The brothers Affleck retaliated by going on a cleaning strike, which didn't faze their friend and housemate, and they relented when their home developed a maggot infestation due to the lack of cleaning.
Fortunately, their friendship survived that hiccup, and they believe they 'hit the lottery' together.
Topics: Matt Damon, Celebrity, Mental Health
Joe Harker