Matt Damon Says His Friendship with Ben Affleck 'Changed' After His Father Died: We 'Make Every Second Count'

Matt Damon told Chris Wallace that he and Ben Affleck resolved to work together more frequently after Damon's father Kent died in 2017

Matt Damon says he wants "to make every second count" when it comes to working with his longtime friend Ben Affleck.

As Damon spoke with journalist Chris Wallace on Who's Talking to Chris Wallace prior to the Screen Actors Guild strike, the Oppenheimer star, 52, noted that he and Affleck, 50, have "been bizarrely close for a long time."

When Wallace asked Damon whether he and his Air costar and director ever went through a period where they were not close, the actor cited the 2021 Beatles documentary Get Back as a turning point in how he thought about his relationship with Affleck.

Damon recalled how the documentary, which captured the iconic rock band as they wrote and recorded their final studio album prior to their 1970 breakup, "made me so sad... because you look at them and they're so happy."

"And Ben and I, I called him and I said, 'Look man, you know, we were talking about [working together more] and it's been 25 years or something since Good Will Hunting like... what are we doing?' "

Related: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's Friendship Timeline

"'You know, we both kind of hit the lottery. Why aren't we working together more often?' " Damon recalled saying to Affleck. The pair famously refrained from writing together after Good Will Hunting, even though they won an Academy Award for their screenplay, until reuniting for 2021's The Last Duel.

The actor went on to note that their relationship changed after Damon's father Kent, whom Affleck "was very, very close with," died in 2017 at age 74.

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"It's like it changed something in us. I think and you know, you start to really...you start to see the end game and you start to feel like I want to make every second count," Damon noted. "I don't want to fritter away time anymore."

The two have made time count since then, using their star power to create the production company Artists Equity back in November. Air marked Artists Equity's first release and followed Damon and Affleck as Nike sports executives who signed NBA star Michael Jordan to a historic brand deal in 1984.

Related: 'Oppenheimer' True Story: All About the Real Events That Inspired the Christopher Nolan Film

Damon and Casey Affleck are listed as the stars of one of the company's upcoming movies, titled The Instigators. Ben is working as a producer alongside Damon on that film, which notably filmed scenes in Boston this spring.

Damon recently cited his personal friendship and working relationship with Ben as one of "the three most significant partnerships in my life" as he sat down with Sunday TODAY's Willie Geist.

"You’re supposed to divide your day up into thirds, so there’s no particular order, but obviously my wife," the actor said, after Geist asked which partnership takes priority. "That [question] was a layup,” he then joked.

Oppenheimer is in theaters now. Who's Talking to Chris Wallace on Max and CNN is available on Max now.

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