Matt Damon says his friendship with Ben Affleck became closer after his father died

Hollywood star Matt Damon says his relationship with Ben Affleck changed when his dad passed away, and he wants "to make every second count" when it comes to working with his childhood friend.

Damon, 52, lost his dad in 2017, aged 74. The Oppenheimer star noted that he and Affleck, 50, have "been bizarrely close for a long time”.

During an appearance on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, Damon shared: “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. I don’t want to fritter away time anymore.”

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Damon and Affleck enjoyed huge success with their 1997 drama movie Good Will Hunting. He cited the 2021 Beatles documentary Get Back as a turning point in how he thought about his relationship with Affleck, as per a popular magazine.

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?' "

"'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.”

He said that their relationship changed after Damon's father Kent, whom Affleck "was very, very close with,” died in 2017.

“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."

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The two created a production company Artists Equity 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.

Damon recently cited his personal friendship and working relationship with Affleck as one of "the three most significant partnerships in my life".