Matt Damon has received a glowing endorsement from his closest friend for his portrayal of the legendary Greek warrior king Odysseus a Christopher Nolan‘The Odyssey’, highly anticipated blockbuster. The 55-year-old actor revealed that Ben Affleck called to congratulate him after seeing the film, a compliment that Damon described as a once-in-a-lifetime moment.According to The Mirror, Damon explained that Affleck had already seen the production and was full of praise. “Ben has already seen the movie. He called me recently and I said, ‘I’ve been waiting 45 years for this phone call,'” the outlet reported, underscoring the importance of receiving this recognition from his lifelong collaborator and friend.The $250 million epic, which opens in theaters on July 17, represents the biggest box office hit of Damon’s career. The film is the first feature film shot entirely with large-format cameras, an ambitious undertaking that Damon admits came with considerable challenges. “We made the movie for the giant screens, and that’s tough, but I’m excited to share it with the world. We had some young actors in the movie. It’s impossible not to root for them. They are so professional,” he said.
The scope and cast of the film
The film follows the legendary Greek king Odysseus as he struggles to return home to Ithaca after the decade-long Trojan War. The film has a star ensemble that includes Tom HollandAnne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Samantha Morton and Charlize Theron, which brings together some of the most prominent performers in cinema.Christopher Nolan directs the Bronze Age epic, building on his recent accolades after winning the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director in 2024.
The deep friendship between Damon and Affleck
Since launching an independent artist-run production studio together in 2022, Damon has drawn parallels between his relationship with Affleck and that of legendary musicians. Paul McCartney i John Lennon in a 2021 documentary about the iconic group. After watching the documentary with his youngest daughter, who was 11 at the time, Damon was moved to tears by the final scenes.“It reminded me of how we both started. At the end, there’s this amazing scene when they play for the last time on the roof of London. It’s like the most joyful thing because they’re all in their twenties,” Damon explained. “I watched it with my youngest daughter and she said, ‘Dad, why are you crying?’ Tears just fell down my face. It made me really sad because there were these guys who couldn’t get over whatever it was that wasn’t allowing them to keep doing it together.“
The shared bank account and the first struggles
Reflecting on his cash-strapped beginnings as aspiring actors, before Good Will Hunting claimed two Oscars in 1998, Damon recalled his unconventional approach to financing his dreams. “We used to share a bank account that we’d put money into that we’d done professionally. So if we had a part or extra work, we’d get $50 or $100, and that money would go into our shared account. We used the money to go to auditions in New York and take the bus from Boston,” she explained.The trip from Boston to New York for the auditions was grueling and often disappointing. “It would take about four or five hours to get to New York. We’d go into somewhere in midtown Manhattan, and after three minutes they’d just say, ‘Okay, thanks!’ We used to call to be turned down “Okay, thanks.” Because you used to go in there, beat your chest, pull your hair and cry, and they’d just say, “Okay, thanks.” But we had this account to rely on. We’ve also used it to play video games at this place on Madison Avenue, buy beers, and go to auditions. Those were the three uses of the account,” Damon explained.
The Secret Code and River Phoenix
The access code to the shared account referred to a young actor whom both men deeply admired. During a podcast appearance, Damon revealed the importance of his secret password. “The code was ‘River P’, because River Phoenix was an actor we really admired. He was our age and was getting the roles we wanted to play. So that was our secret code to get into our shared bank account,” Damon said, paying tribute to the performer who died of a drug overdose in 1993 aged just 23.
From struggling actors to the Hollywood establishment
Today, with an estimated fortune and properties in multiple locations, Damon doesn’t need a shared bank account. However, he still cherishes the thrill of each milestone the duo reached during those formative years. “It looks like you won the lottery, but your best friend did too. We talked about that, Ben and I. And also the fact that in the 80s it wasn’t weird for us to be 14 and 16 years old and go to New York alone to audition,” Damon mused.The actor emphasized how unconventional his youth now appears in retrospect. “It wasn’t until we had kids that we thought, ‘Can you believe we’re going to audition like that?’ We loved starting out as extras. It can be demeaning work, but we loved being on set. We were happy to be there, and yeah, I mean, I was just starting out in the business,” he said.
Continued commitment to craftsmanship
Now firmly established as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men, Damon’s rise to the top was built on relentless hard work and shows no signs of letting up. “Even if you succeed, you might have to break a lot of eggs to get the omelette. You know what I mean?” he concluded by reflecting on the continued effort required to maintain excellence in his craft.‘The Odyssey’ opens in cinemas on Friday 17 July.