‘It was unusual’: Ben Affleck and Matt Damon explain bank account they shared for years

‘We were going to help each other and be there for each other,’ Affleck said

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s creative partnership extended all the way to their bank accounts, the stars recently explained.

The two Bostonian actors earned an Oscar in 1998 for Good Will Hunting, which they both co-wrote and co-starred in.

However, long before they found mainstream success, the two friends who became close in high school were supporting each other’s acting careers.

During an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast (via CNBC), the pair revealed they shared a joint bank account from the late 1980s to help fund their auditions.

“It was unusual, but we needed the money for auditions,” Damon said, adding that it was “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.’”

The duo explained that after either of them booked a job, their salary would be deposited into the account.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck with their Oscars for ‘Good Will Hunting' in 1998 (Hal Garb/Getty Images)

“As long as one of us had money, we knew the power wasn’t going to get shut off. After doing [1992’s] Geronimo, I probably had 35 grand in the bank. I was like, ‘we’re good for a year.’”

The rules for the account, they said, were as follows: “You 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... Eventually, we were allowed to try to buy beer, which never f***ing worked.”

Affleck and Damon recently founded a production company together – Artists Equity.

The two are currently on the press circuit ahead of their new movie, Air, which Affleck directs and stars in, and Damon stars in.

The film is based on the real-life story of marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro (Damon) working with Nike to pursue a young Michael Jordan to create his own line of sneakers.

The movie will not show Jordan’s face. Instead, they hired a body double who they only filmed from behind or in profile – a decision that Affleck said “worked better” for the movie.

Affleck recently admitted he regrets taking advice to stop working with Damon early in his career so that the two would not be seen as a double act.

Air releases in cinemas on 5 April, before it premieres worldwide on Amazon’s Prime Video.