Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are so close that they once split expenses like some married couples.
The two actors and longtime friends, who rocketed to fame after they won the Original Screenplay Oscar for 1997′s “Good Will Hunting,” did much more than just live and write together in their 20s. They revealed about an hour and 10 minutes into Wednesday’s episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast” that they shared a joint checking account when they were in high school to support each other’s dream of becoming an actor.
“It was unusual, but we needed the money for auditions,” Damon admitted, calling it “a weird thing in retrospect.”
“We were going to help each other and be there for each other,” Affleck said. “It was like, ‘You’re not going to be alone. I’m not going to be alone. Let’s go out there and do this together.’”
Damon explained that whenever either of them booked a role, they’d deposit the earnings in the joint account.
“As long as one of us had money, we knew the power wasn’t going to get shut off,” Damon said. “After doing [1993′s] ‘Geronimo,’ I probably had 35 grand in the bank. I was like, we’re good for a year.”
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The account came with a certain set of rules, however, and they were only allowed to withdraw funds for certain things. Though sometimes these allowances got a little out of hand.
“We were allowed to go to [auditions in] New York with the money. You were allowed to take out $10 and get quarters and go to [the arcade] and play video games,” Damon said. “Eventually we were allowed to try to buy beer, which never fucking worked.”
The tactic seems to have worked. The two are still close friends and are huge Hollywood stars. They also clearly still enjoy working with each other. The pair are currently promoting their latest project, “Air,” which will premiere on Amazon on April 7. They both star in the film, and Affleck directed. It’s also the first project made by their shared production company, Artists Equity. The film is based on how Nike revolutionized its brand by teaming up with a little-known basketball rookie named Michael Jordan.
Affleck told CBS News in a joint interview that working again with Damon on “Air” was the “best work experience of my life, without question.”
“I find the most wonderful thing about it was I loved coming to work every day. I love seeing Matt,” he said.
“It was just so much fun ― I don’t know. It kinda felt like just us and getting to do the thing that we wanted to do,” he added. “I did. I loved it. I loved it. I miss it every day since.”