Matt Damon credits Beatles breakup for influencing his decision to keep working with Ben Affleck

The two actors have worked together for decades, and rose to fame with their Oscar-winning screenplay in 1997.

Matt Damon has opened up about how the Beatles breakup influenced his perspective on working with longtime collaborator Ben Affleck.

Speaking to GQ in a new interview published on September 9, Damon recalled watching Peter Jackson’s documentary Get Back, which chronicled the band’s final performance in 1969 before a title card confirmed it would never happen again. The scene left Damon emotional, prompting him to reflect on his own creative partnership.

“I told Ben, ‘Who cares if we oversaturate the marketplace with movies we’re both in? We’re crazy if we don’t take advantage of the fact that we are both still here and able to do this,’” Damon said.

The two actors, who have worked together for decades, first rose to fame with their Academy Award-winning screenplay for Good Will Hunting in 1997.

While they have produced and written several projects together, their new action thriller The Rip marks the first time they appear onscreen together since 2021’s The Last Duel.

Affleck also praised his close friend’s craft, telling GQ, “Every time I act with Matt is a humbling experience because I learn to appreciate further just how good an actor he is. He is so understated, so real and so honest—it’s the opposite of a 'showy’ performance, and I think what he does is more difficult.”

Affleck concluded on a lighter note, saying, “Matt has probably been ahead of me in many regards throughout our career. However, I think I am unquestionably the superior beard. So to speak.”