Jennifer Lopez and Matt Damon were spotted chatting at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) following the premiere of their latest movie, Unstoppable, co-produced by Ben Affleck. The event, held on September 6, 2024, was Lopez's first major appearance since she filed for divorce from Affleck in August. Notably, regardless of the split, Lopez and Damon remain longtime friends.
The two have been friends for years, and were spotted holding hands while chitchatting for over 20 minutes at the afterparty at EPOCH Bar and Kitchen Terrace at The Ritz-Carlton. According to People's sources, the two were having a "deep conversation," as they laughed and then shifted to a more serious tone.
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Jennifer Lopez and Matt Damon also struck poses with each other on the red carpet for the same movie, alongside their other co-stars like Bobby Cannavale, Don Cheadle, and Jharrel Jerome. However, Affleck did not attend the premiere.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's friendship through the years
1980s
Affleck told Parade magazine in 2007 that Matt Damon and he grew up in the same neighborhood in Cambridge. They met when they were about 10 and 8 respectively, and quickly grew close. Affleck also credited Matt Damon for taking acting more seriously, saying,
“All of a sudden I had this friend, Matt, and he gets it and wants to do it and thinks it’s interesting and wants to talk about it. Soon both of us are doing it.”
He also touched on how the two would take the train to New York, so they could audition together.
1990s - 2000s
By the 1990s, the duo were bagging roles and starring alongside each other in projects like Glory Days and School Ties. Soon, they got a house together in L.A., and started working on the screenplay for Good Will Hunting. He noted that the two went "back and forth" with the writing, and the outcome was a far cry from what was originally intended.
The movie went on to feature the two alongside Robin Williams and Minnie Driver and debuted in 1997. Not long after, the two started becoming a household name. They also went on to nab an Oscar and a Golden Globe for the same.
During their acceptance speech, Affleck said,
"Ha! I just said to Matt that losing would suck and winning would be really scary, and it's really, really scary."
The two would go on to star in several other projects together, such as Dogma, The Third Wheel, and Project Greenlight.
2010
During the 2010 American Cinematheque Awards, Affleck's then-wife, Jennifer Garner, stood in front of hundreds to honor Matt Damon and joke about the "bromance" between her husband and him.
"Ben is half of one of the greatest love stories ever told. Not with me. The actual prototype for the great Hollywood Bromance … Here's proof that love is alive and well in Hollywood. At least for my darling husband and my husband's darling husband."
2016
In June 2016, Damon and Affleck were named "Guys of the Decade" by Spike TV's final Guys Choice Awards. Affleck took to the stage to joke about it, saying,
"Now we're the … coveted Dudes of the Decade … the Guys of the D—heads? What is it?"
Matt Damon retorted,
"No, the D—heads of the Decade award."
2021
During a May interview with Today, Matt Damon was probed about the possibility of a love rekindled between Affleck and Lopez. However, he replied by saying there's "not enough liquor in the world" that would get him to open up. But he did add that he was hopeful.
"I hope it's true. I love them both. I hope it's true. That would be awesome."
In September 2021, Affleck reflected on his shared journey with Damon. He said,
"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."
Matt Damon chimed in, agreeing that this friendship was "way too important," and was a "significant part" of his life.
2022
In January 2022, Affleck told Entertainment Weekly that this "friendship has been essential and defining and so important" to him in his life.
“There were a few critical times, which are private and I don’t want to share, but where your support was so profoundly meaningful to me that I don’t think I would’ve been able to be successful without it.”
By November of that year, they opened up their own production company together, launching the Artists Equity with RedBird Capital Partners production company. While Damon holds the title of chief creative officer, Affleck is the company's CEO.
From sharing a bank account to co-owning a production company together, the two have come a long way. the "bromance" between the two is stronger than ever, and continue to work on several projects together.
Unstoppable, the upcoming biographical sports drama film, is produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck through Artists Equity. It stars Jharrel Jerome as Robles and Jennifer Garner as his mother, among others. The film is based on the 2012 book of the same name, written by Anthony Robles.
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