Matt Damon and Ben Affleck teamed up last year to launch Artists Equity, a production company aiming to reimagine the relationship between talent, studio, and distributor. This marks a new partnership between the duo, who have been making trembles in Hollywood since the 90s through their collaborations.
It’s no secret that Good Will Hunting, wherein the pair both wrote the screenplay and starred in the movie, changed their lives. But before their Oscar-winning collaboration, Damon and Affleck endured a lot of experiences that didn’t hand them the opportunity to showcase their talents from the center of the stage.
In particular, the pair didn’t even get credits for featuring in Field of Dreams (1989). However, Kevin Costner’s kind gesture ensured the stint ended up becoming a worthwhile experience for the duo.
How Kevin Costner Impressed Matt Damon and Ben Affleck
Kevin Costner starred in sports fantasy drama Field of Dreams alongside high-profile names of the time like James Earl Jones and Ray Liotta. He played Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella, who decided to build a baseball field in his cornfield.
In one particular scene, Costner and Jones are at a baseball game. To film the scene thousands of extras were called in at the Red Sox’s baseball arena, Fenway Park. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were also part of the crowd and made their feature film debut as uncredited extras. It’ll be almost impossible to spot them from the crowd in the movie.
Damon and Affleck weren’t bothered about the absence of lines and lack of spotlight and were instead more excited about the chance to go to the ballpark of the Boston Red Sox. And the outing only got better for the aspiring actors after Costner came out and gave his time to the extras. During an interview on Dan Patrick Show, the 53-year-old said:
“Costner came out and hung out with the extras. And Ben and I went and struck up a conversation with him. And he probably gave us five minutes. He was incredibly generous with his time.”
Kudos to Costner for his classy gesture that must’ve given Damon and Affleck a lot of encouragement. Three years later, the pair earned the opportunity to play notable roles together in the movie School Ties.
Why Generous Star Matt Damon Tried to Drive Down the Price of His Autograph
Damon himself is considered among the most generous celebrities in Hollywood, known for being kind to his fans whenever they approach him for an autograph.
However, his kindness also opened doors for individuals who sell autographs to make easy money. To lose the interest of these professionals and only attract true fans, the AIR actor and his long-time friend, Affleck, hatched a plan. During an appearance on Conan, Damon recalled:
“Ben Affleck I and talked about this, cause it all started for us at the same time. We were like what if we could saturate the market place? What if we could drive the price down to 80 bucks [for 10 autographs] and then we wouldn’t be worth it.”
Their master plan to lower the value of their autographs didn’t work at all and Damon hilariously ended up signing 1000s and 1000s of pictures.
