Matt Damon ‘Can’t Imagine Living Under’ the Same Press Scrutiny as Ben Affleck: ‘We’ve Had Parallel Careers’ but ‘I’m Fortunate’ to Be Excused From That
variety.comZack Sharf Digital News Director Matt Damon recently said on the “Radio Times Podcast” (via People) that he “can’t imagine” having to deal with the scrutiny from the press that his friend and longtime collaborator Ben Affleck has faced over the years.
Damon noted the two actors have had “parallel careers in a lot of ways,” breaking through with their shared “Good Will Hunting” Oscar win before headlining franchises and major studio movies. “I’ve been really lucky in that way … especially when I look at Casey’s brother, Ben,” Damon said. “I can’t imagine living under that kind of scrutiny.
And it’s been like that for 25 years and we’ve had parallel careers in a lot of ways and so I’m fortunate to have been kind of excused from that part of [it].” While their careers followed a similar path, their personal lives did not.
Damon credits his “boring” marriage (to Luciana Barroso) as a major reason the Hollywood press has remained less intrusive in his life compared to Affleck, whose relationship with Jennifer Lopez continues to feed the tabloid machine. “That magazine culture that was so huge … 25 years ago, kind of ignored me,” Damon added. “Right, like a guy who’s married, it’s so boring.
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