Matt Damon Gives Update on Best Friend Ben Affleck Following Recent Relapse: 'He's Doing Great'
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A Relapse In His Sobriety
While attending the UNICEF Masquerade Ball in West Hollywood on October 26th, Ben Affleck was seen publicly intoxicated. TMZ released footage of him stumbling to his ride and struggling to stand. He was with musician Katie Cherry, who the actor allegedly is dating after meeting on the exclusive dating app Raya.
It's An Ongoing Process
Ben Affleck has struggled with alcoholism since 2001, when he entered rehab for the first time. The most recent time he entered rehab (his third stint) was in 2018, and Affleck has been open about his desire to remain sober since then.
After the Halloween incident, Affleck told TMZ outside of his ex-wife Jennifer Garner's home:
"It happens, it’s a slip, but I’m not going to let it derail me."
Matt Damon Weighs In
Affleck's longtime best friend and creative collaborator Matt Damon told Entertainment Tonight that Affleck is on the mend and as dedicated as ever to remaining sober.
"He’s looking great, and he’s doing great. We’ve been working together on this screenplay, and … he’s just doing great.."
Reminiscing About Their Childhood
While promoting his new film Ford v Ferrari, Damon told a story on Conan about his childhood with Affleck in Boston.
"I mouthed off to this kid that I knew, but he was like your [Conan’s] height, like six-foot-six, and I might have been five-three at the time, and I said something. So before I knew it, it was like I was on the ground, he was above me, and I was like, 'This is gonna be bad.'
It was right then that little five-foot-two Ben Affleck tackled this dude off of me, like out of nowhere. I was, like, a junior and he was, like, a freshman, and he tackled this kid off of me, literally at the risk of his own life.
But I remember that was a big moment, going like, 'This guy, he will put himself in a really bad spot for me.' Like, 'This is a good friend to have.'"
Their Next Project Together
Affleck and Damon are reuniting to write the screenplay for and star in a new film called The Last Duel. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film will focus on two former best friends in 14th century France who challenge each other to a duel after one rapes the other's wife.
This is the first screenplay that the two have collaborated on since they broke into Hollywood with the Oscar winning Good Will Hunting. It's safe to say the pressure is on.
