Ben Affleck pulled no punches toward Matt Damon. The long-time best friends are both producers of Affleck’s new film, “Animals.” However, Affleck himself wasn’t his first choice for the starring role. The Oscar winner had originally cast Damon for the part until the latter dropped out. He decided to play the role himself, although Damon remained involved as a producer.
Affleck, 54, and Damon, 56, have collaborated many times since beginning their careers together. The pair won Oscars for “Good Will Hunting” before appearing in multiple other projects. Damon was directed by “Affleck” in 2023’s “Air.” “Animals” was set to continue their pairing, but production delays caused a scheduling conflict that forced Damon to pick one acting opportunity.
Ben Affleck Calls Matt Damon’s ‘The Odyssey’ A ‘Little Movie’
In an interview on the “Today” show, Ben Affleck confirmed that Matt Damon was the first choice for “Animals.” Not only was Affleck’s best friend supposed to play the lead, but his ex-wife was set to star as Damon’s onscreen wife. Jennifer Garner had agreed to the co-lead role, but left the project once Damon was unavailable.
Garner, 54, turned Affleck down when he proposed he star as her husband instead. Kerry Washington was cast in her role instead.
“Animals” was originally scheduled for filming in March 2024. However, Affleck decided to delay the project after second-guessing the story. He finally went ahead with shooting in March 2025, but Damon had already committed to Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” by then.
“The Odyssey” became one of the highest-grossing films of all time. As of October 12, the film has made over $1.78 billion at the worldwide box office. Damon was supported by a star-studded cast and was praised for leading Nolan’s epic vision.
Affleck joked that his best friend settled for a “little movie” over his. The 54-year-old took a humorous dig at the film, saying “it bombed” and that Damon was “embarrassed” by his failure.
Ben Affleck Talks About Matt Damon’s Happiness With ‘The Odyssey’
Ben Affleck’s shots at Matt Damon were all in good fun. The actor holds no ill will against his best friend for starring in “The Odyssey.” Apart from joking about his resentment, Affleck revealed that Damon was ecstatic when he was cast in Christopher Nolan’s epic.
Damon has starred in Nolan’s movies before. He made a surprise supporting appearance in 2014’s “Interstellar,” before appearing in another supporting role in 2023’s “Oppenheimer.” However, “The Odyssey” is the first time that Damon has led a Nolan movie as the main star.
“He was really as happy as I’ve ever seen him the day that he got that job,” Affleck said, reflecting on the day he learned about Damon’s casting.
Although he didn’t star in the film, Damon was present alongside the cast for the “Animals” premiere. He is part of the production company Artists Equity with Affleck, which was founded in 2022. Despite a big change from his original vision, Affleck is proud of how the film turned out.
“I make movies mindful of the audience. But also, I did some things I really wanted to do in this that I think were really interesting,” He said in his “Today” interview. “I love this movie, ‘Animals.’ I really want people to see it.”
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Ben Affleck Takes Shot at Best Friend Matt Damon’s Movie – ‘It Bombed’