Matt Damon’s favourite co-star of all time: “One of the best actors that I’ve ever seen”
For the last three decades, Matt Damon has been on a mission to work with as many industry icons as possible on both sides of the camera. However, in the nicest possible way, his favourite co-star of all time isn’t in the same bracket as many of his previous collaborators.
That’s not intended as a slight when Damon has shared an ensemble with Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, Robin Williams, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Will Smith, Sean Connery, Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Jeff Bridges, and Jodie Foster, to name but a small few.
Every one of those names is an Academy Award winner with decades of unparalleled success, a position Damon now finds himself in almost 30 years after breaking through with Good Will Hunting. He’s no longer the guy who wants to work with the biggest stars; he’s the big star the younger generation wants to work with.
He’ll always make time for his friends, though, with Steven Soderbergh apparently keeping him on speed dial whenever the filmmaker has a cameo that needs filling. Damon has amassed a number of actors and directors he’d made multiple films with, and one of them has become his favourite co-star of all time.
Of course, the Bostonian talking about his favourite anything will lead most people in one direction: Ben Affleck. However, his lifelong platonic love interest isn’t number one despite their unbreakable bond. In what could easily be construed as a slap right across the face, though, his younger brother is.
“I have to say, going back in my career, Casey Affleck is one of the best actors that I’ve ever seen in my life,” Damon said during a Reddit AMA when asked to name his favourite person to work with. “Growing up with him, he’s five years younger than me, he’s kind of like a little brother to me, but watching his work develop over the years has been really fun.”
He’s had a front-row seat, too, with Damon and the younger of the Affleck siblings sharing the spotlight in Good Will Hunting, Soderbergh’s Ocean’s trilogy, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, and Doug Liman’s The Instigators, while they also co-wrote the screenplay for Gus Van Sant’s Gerry alongside the director.
Damon also produced Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea and was supposed to play the lead role until those pesky scheduling conflicts got in the way. He said the only person he’d give up the role for was Affleck, who promptly won an Oscar for ‘Best Actor’ for his efforts.
Nobody will bat an eyelid that he opted for someone called Affleck as his preferred scene partner, even if it’s not the one most people would expect. Then again, Casey is objectively a better actor than Ben and has been for quite some time, even if his big brother has been famous for longer and wields more influence in Hollywood as a star, filmmaker, and producer.
Hopefully, there weren’t any arguments over Damon playing favourites, which would make for an awkward dinner table conversation.
