Ben Affleck Reveals Name of Oscar-Winning Legend Who Rejected ‘Good Will Hunting’ — ‘I Will Not Read Your Screenplay’

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Ben Affleck has dished on Tommy Lee Jones. The Oscar-winning filmmaker spoke to Josh Horowitz on the “Happy, Sad, Confused” podcast. Affleck, 54, revealed that Jones, 80, was one of the actors he and Matt Damon, 56, wanted in “Good Will Hunting.” Affleck and Damon were writing the script and created the role eventually played by Robin Williams for an A-list star. The pair called it the “Harvey Keitel part” for a huge star whose name would boost the value of their movie.

In the interview, Affleck revealed the conversation Damon had with Jones to try and convince him to do the film. Affleck also shared his own interaction with the 80-year-old when he got to work with him later on.

Ben Affleck Reveals Matt Damon Asked Tommy Lee Jones To Be In ‘Good Will Hunting’

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were still looking for a big name to star in their prospective movie when the latter got to work with Tommy Lee Jones. Damon appeared as the son of Jones’s character in the latter’s self-directed TV film, “The Good Old Boys,” in 1995.

Damon has been open about his gratitude toward Jones for giving him the role. His salary enabled him and Affleck to continue working on “Good Will Hunting” with their financial situation cleared. Affleck told Josh Horowitz it was his idea to suggest giving the film’s script to Jones on set.

“We’re going to get him on board,” Affleck recalled his optimism about convincing Jones to star in the film. “I remember the first night in plain old Texas, or wherever it was, I called him up and said, ‘How did it go?’ And he was like, ‘I don’t think Tommy’s going to do our movie.'”

Affleck called Jones “not an easy guy to approach.” The actor remembered his own interaction with Jones when starring with him in a separate movie. The pair worked together more than a decade later in 2010’s “The Company Men.”

Ben Affleck Detailed Tommy Lee Jones’s Blunt Attitude

Ben Affleck joked about asking Tommy Lee Jones again about appearing in another movie of his. The actor said he finally got to talk to Jones when they were working on “The Company Men.” Affleck imagined a humorous scenario where Jones would shoot his idea down without hearing him out.

“What is it? What is it you want, son?” Affleck imitated Jones’s candor on set. “No, I will not read your screenplay. What else?”

Josh Horowitz brought up the infamous exchange between Jones and Jim Carrey when the pair worked on “Batman Forever.” Jones allegedly approached Carrey off-set and told him, “I cannot sanction your buffoonery.” Affleck was unaware of the story, but said it “doesn’t surprise me.”

Affleck had a funny anecdote of his own involving Jones. The Oscar winner recalled Jones’s blunt confidence while filming a scene on “The Company Men.” Jones delivered a complex monologue perfectly, which left Affleck and the crew in awe.

“We got to the end, and we got a great take, and he knew it,” Affleck described the moment they filmed the scene. “And then it didn’t cut or anything, and he just turned to the director and said, ‘I think you’re going to like your movie.'”

Affleck ended the story, leaving Horowitz laughing. The actor claimed he’s still waiting to use the line himself but hasn’t experienced a moment as perfect as Jones’s to actually invoke it.